


The Infirmary

by Literal_Sunshine



Series: Solangelo [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M, Nico di Angelo is Bad at Feelings, Not Canon Compliant - The Trials of Apollo, Post-The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus), Pre-Relationship, Pretend ToA doesn't exist, There is more to come, There's an original female character but she's not important, This is literally just the first three days so they don't end up together by the end, Three Days in the Infirmary (Percy Jackson), Will Solace is a Dork, Will Solace is a Good Healer, but don't worry, solangelo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:28:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 23,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24528394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Literal_Sunshine/pseuds/Literal_Sunshine
Summary: After the war, Nico has finally elected that he will stay at Camp Half-Blood. Likewise, Will Solace has decided that Nico will stay in the infirmary for three days. Argument is futile— but hey! It's just three days, right?Updates every three days!
Relationships: Nico di Angelo & Will Solace, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Series: Solangelo [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1772650
Comments: 34
Kudos: 252





	1. Day 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! So this is my second Solangelo fic on this site, and, in case anyone was wondering, yes, they do fit together. The other is from Hazel's POV over a longer period of time. Neither is crutial to understaning the other. Feel free to give it a read, though! This is part of a greater series about Nico and Will getting together, but it ended up being really long on its own! I'm breaking the chapters up by day, and updating every three days, so everything should be out 6 days from now. The chapters are pretty long, so I'm sorry if they're all over the place! I debated if I should break it up further, but elected not to. Anyway, since I was focusing on the narrative here and not the prose, it's a bit of a simple, easy read. It's a pretty staight-to-the-point 3 Days in the Infirmary story. Hope you enjoy!

When Nico got back to the Apollo cabin’s doors, Will was curious.

“What did you tell them?” he asked. He cocked his head to see over Nico’s shoulder to look at Percy and Annabeth. Annabeth was trying not to laugh, whereas Percy seemed vaguely offended but mostly confused.

“Nothing,” Nico said, but his smile must have given him away. Will’s eyebrow raised. Nico cleared his throat. “Nothing important.”

Will didn’t pry. Instead, he turned on his heel and walked into the Apollo cabin. “I need to get something before we go.”

“Oh,” Nico mumbled. He shifted his weight awkwardly. It was weird to be standing outside waiting. It reminded him of an experience from back at Westover Hall when he’d waited for a friend— his name was Mickey— to open up the door to his dorm room and let him in. It’d never happened, and the next day in class, Mickey had apologized profusely, saying that he completely forgot.

“You should have knocked,” he had said. “I would have let you in. I’m really sorry, Nico.”

Nico had wanted to hold onto his resentment for longer than he did, but it was really hard to stay angry at Mickey, with his slightly askew tie and close-cropped army-style hair.

Nico didn’t know why he was suddenly remembering that, but he only had a moment to dwell on it before Will called from inside the cabin, “Well? Are you coming in or what?”

Nico’s breath cut out for a second, but he didn’t embarrass himself with too long of a reaction time. He ducked into the cabin and made one note to himself: _That’s unfair._

The Apollo cabin was exactly what a camp cabin should look like. The ceilings were high and vaulted with beams of wood stretching from one white wall to the other. But the ceiling itself had large sections of glass between the beams— an array of skylights, the blue of the morning reflecting onto the floor. Some bunks still held sleepy campers, while others were empty (and usually unmade). There was a cot at the center of the room, presumably for the wounded. Nico sincerely hoped he would not be staying there. Behind the cot was a bookshelf, fully stocked with books in both Greek and English. Most of them seemed to be historical nonfiction describing the Greek Pantheon, with some exceptions; there were also works of Shakespeare, books of sheet music, dramas, sing-along-songs, and medical guides— any kind of book a child of Apollo could possibly need. It was a nice touch. Nico wondered if he could fit something like that into Cabin 13 when he remodeled. Then he reconsidered. What kind of books would even be on that bookshelf? _Necromancy: For Dummies_ ? _Chicken Soup for the Underworld Kid’s Soul?_ But here, the bookshelf fit in so perfectly. The flower pots on top of it held the same types of flowers to match the ones on the windowsills: little yellow delosperma, gorgeous purple hyacinth. The whole cabin looked like something out of a movie. Granted, the Hades cabin _also_ looked like it was from a movie. Different genres.

One of the kids looked up from her spot cross-legged on his bed next to the door. She had been playing on a portable keyboard before noticing Nico. She was maybe 12 years old and had deep brown almond-shaped eyes, her dark brown hair cut short into a pixie. “Hey, who’s this?”

“That’s Nico di Angelo,” Will said. He was across the room, bent down to rifle through the contents of a small trunk. “He’s gonna be under my care for a while.”

“Nico di Angelo?” the girl said. “Like, _the_ Nico di Angelo?”

“That’s the one,” Will confirmed.

Nico braced himself for the worst: _Get out! You don’t belong here!_ But it didn’t come. Instead, the kid put aside her keyboard and leaned over, excitement in her eyes. “Dude! Is it true you brought the _entire_ Athena Parthenos over from _Greece_?”

“Um,” Nico said, taken aback by the enthusiasm in the kid’s voice, “yeah.”

The girl reached out her hand through the wooden ladder of the bunk. “Thanks, man! I’m Ric. It’s so cool to meet you.”

Nico hesitantly took her hand and shook it. “I’m Nico.”

Ric blinked. “Yeah, I’m aware. But you’re being taken care of by Will? Are you, like, injured?”

Something about the way she said in rubbed Nico the wrong way: _Being taken care of._ And then there was the _by Will_ part of it, which somehow made Nico much more nervous. 

Luckily, Will cut in before Nico had to respond. He stepped in beside Nico with what looked like a Mason jar full of honey in one hand and a clipboard in the other. “I think you’re scaring him off, Ric.”

Ric blushed a bit. “Sorry about that. ADHD, you know?”

Nico almost felt for the kid. He’d never received a formal diagnosis, but he _had_ received a lot of smacks over the head and berating for not paying attention in class and breaking bearing in formation back at Westover. But something about Ric felt like rough leather against Nico’s skin, and he was not a fan.

Will pressed a hand onto the center of Nico’s back, sending jolts up his spine. His tongue snagged in his throat, and for a second, he thought he might be dying. “No problem,” Will said. Will _did_ annoy Nico, speaking on his behalf and all that. “We’ll be off. You’ll be seeing more of him, though.”

Nico wanted to object, but he didn’t know what to say. Ric smiled. “Later, bro.”

“Later,” Will said, and then he guided Nico out of the cabin with a steady hand on the small of his back.

After they were out of the cabin, Nico stepped away. “I don’t like being touched.” He tried to make his voice sound sharp, but it sounded dramatic and phony, even to him. Something deep, deep down was begging Nico to let Will put his hand back on that spot.

Will huffed. “I’m in the medical field. You’re a patient of mine. The healing process is very physical. Get used to it.” Then he waited for a beat. “If you _really_ have a problem with it, I could try to make contact minimal.”

Something in Nico’s heart went _Ting!_ Will might be irritating, but at least he was respectful— sometimes. Nico took a moment to consider what he wanted to say. “It’s not so bad.”

Will smiled like he’d won. 

The two of them walked over to the Big House. Every time Nico saw it, it looked a little less grand to him, a little less magical. When he’d first come to camp, everything had been so breathtaking. But these days, he was a little sick of things that were larger than life.

Will led him up the stairs onto the porch and in through the door. He’d never been in the infirmary before, but it was definitely cleaner than he’d ever anticipated. The whole place smelled like rubbing alcohol. Along the walls ran recovery couches, like the kind you see in nurse’s offices. They all had thin blankets with weird patterns on them, like characters from _Paw Patrol_ and comic-book-style speech bubbles with things like “POW!” and “BAM!” written inside. A lot of the beds housed half-bloods between the ages of ten and eighteen. The ones in the middle of that range seemed uncomfortable with the childish beds, but the younger ones and near-adults alike were rather fond of it. A couple of people raised hands in greeting as they chatted amongst themselves. A few called to Will and earned his brilliant smiles. The walls were white like inside the Apollo cabin, but they had little cheesy posters: “Don’t cough on others!” with an X over a picture of a cartoon _katobleps_ like Nico had seen in Venice, “Where does it hurt?” with a little satyr with his arms and legs outstretched, and more. The floor was tile— easy to clean. All in all, it was not the kind of place Nico wanted to spend his next three days.

Will brought him to the end of the hall, into a backroom. The two stood in darkness for a second before Will found the lightswitch. It was like a doctor’s office, with an examination bed with wax paper, a counter with a bunch of cotton swabs and ambrosia bits in clear plastic jars, a few waiting chairs, and a scale in one corner.

“If you’d just hop on the scale,” Will said. His voice was casual, but the concept made Nico incredibly nervous. He didn’t know the last time he’d checked his own weight, not to mention _someone else_ check it for him. Will seemed to notice his hesitance. “Dude, I know you’ve been on a quest for the last, like, two months. Limited food, extreme exercise…” He shook his head. “Each time you shadow-traveled, it must have burnt as many calories as a marathon. I’m not going to judge you. I’m here to help.”

Nico definitely did not like it, but he kicked off his shoes and stepped on the scale. _Gosh._ It was worse than he was expecting.

Will made a note on his clipboard. “Prescription: Lots… of… twinkies.”

Nico huffed. “You’re not going to fatten me up like a housecat, are you?”

“No,” Will said. “I’m going to fatten you up like a vicious tiger.” He made eye contact as he turned to attend to the next thing. “Rawr.” Something caught in Nico’s throat, but Will didn’t seem to notice as he kept talking, getting a q-tip out of a jar. “You’re already killing a lot of your body fat through exercise and stuff. Now, that’s usually great, but because you don’t _eat,_ it’s unevenly affecting your body, making you real skinny. If you ate properly, you’d probably look like the Rock by now.”

Nico cocked his head. “I haven’t had a stable food-income for the past three years.”

“I know,” Will said. He turned around and walked up so he was dangerously close to Nico. “Open up.”

Nico opened his mouth, and Will shone a light inside before swabbing the back of his throat. It was an uncomfortable experience at the best of times, with a trained professional doing this kind of examination. With a kid the same rough age as Nico… it was just humiliating.

“Stop being embarrassed,” Will said, taking the cotton out of Nico’s mouth.

Nico blinked. “How did you know that I—?”

“Everyone thinks the same thing,” Will admitted, turning to put the cotton swab into some kind of processor. He mimicked his average patient with a funny accent: “‘Oh, you’re a kid. What do you know about medicine? Are you going to criticize my poor physique?’ It’s the dumbest stuff I’ve ever heard. I’ve seen too many people like this to care about anyone’s health on a personal level.”

“Oh,” Nico said.

Will faced him again with a band of sorts with lots of pipes and things. “Blood pressure.”

“It’s going to be high,” Nico confessed.

“Duh,” Will said. “You were just on a quest. They tend to be stressful things.” 

He gestured for the examination table. Nico hopped up onto it. Will wrapped the armband around his bicep, touching his forearm lightly. It was like Nico was made of water, the way the touch from Will’s fingers seemed to ripple throughout his entire body.

“If my mom saw you,” Will said, “she’d probably force-feed you apple pie. She’s a big girl, and I think she’d like it more if I were big, too. But she’s willing to settle for lanky-but-healthy.”

Nico looked at Will’s body. He was long for sure, and plenty skinny, but he didn’t quite think he was “lanky” anymore. His hands were strong, and he was built with plenty of muscle. Nico almost said it out loud before he caught himself. _Man, how embarrassing would that be?_

“What does she do?” Nico opted for instead. “Your mom.”

“Oh, she’s a singer,” Will said. His eyes were trained on the pressure gauge, but his face was relaxed and almost… kind? Nico understood why he was such a good doctor; despite being an absolute annoyance, he had the kind of face that just put people at ease, an air of calmness and control. “Weird, huh? The son of the god of music and a southern country singer, and I inherit zero musical talent.”

“I don’t know,” Nico said. “I’ve never heard you sing.”

He’d blurted it out without thinking. It was an odd sentiment to be sure, but Will seemed to take it good humor. He glanced up at Nico’s face with a smile and responded, “You really don’t want to. Take my word for it.”

Nico shifted. The armband was getting tighter, but it felt weirdly comforting, like a hug around his bicep. “You said southern. Where are you from?”

“Suburb near Austin,” Will replied. “Texas. Bible belt.” He sighed like he was remembering something irritating. “Great time for someone like me.”

 _Someone like me_ . Nico wanted to ask what that meant, but he chose not to. Will probably meant _child of a single mom,_ not… not anything else.

“What about you?” Will asked. “You were born in, like, the twenties, right?”

“Thirties,” Nico corrected. “1932. My family and I had dual citizenship. My mom was the daughter of the Italian ambassador to America.”

Will whistled. “That’s pretty cool.”

“It’d be cooler if I could remember more of it.” Nico reached his unwrapped arm to scratch behind his head. “I only know bits and pieces. Dunked in the Lethe.”

“Never heard that part of the story,” Will mumbled. “Go on.”

Nico didn’t really know what to “go on” about, but he figured his cities of origin were a good starting point. “We went between Washington D.C. and Venice.”

“What’s it like in Venice?” Will asked. He looked up from the gauge and into Nico’s face. His eyes were a beautiful shade of blue, like the ocean in San Juan, stretching into the expanse of the horizon. Nico got the feeling that if he looked too hard, he could get just as lost in those eyes as he could at sea. “I’ve never been.”

Nico cleared this throat. “Um, it was really nice when I was little. We visited during the quest. Lots of cow demons.”

“Fun,” Will said. “When you were little, in Venice… were you under Mussolini?”

Nico nodded. “The second World War started when I was pretty young. Italy’s main focus was on Ethiopia.”

Will raised an eyebrow. “Were you, like, part of it? Like, _Hitler Jugend_ but for Italians or something?”

“Not really,” Nico said. “I was seven. And my mom… I think she disagreed with the fascists, because she was very adamant about keeping my sister and me out of their way.”

Will hummed. “Interesting. Are you bilingual?”

“Trilingual,” Nico corrected. “My English and my Greek are way better than my Italian. I haven’t had a lot of practice, and, well, imagine if someone came up to you and started speaking English like they were from the thirties.”

Will laughed. “‘Aye, can I get a jive bug from you dotties, and then we can go swing after the banger?’”

“I assure you,” Nico said, “absolutely no one talked like that.”

Will laughed again. Nico liked his laugh— crisp like cool air on a summer’s day. Then Will glanced back down at the gauge and swore in Greek. “I’m so sorry. I had this on way too long.” He rushed to undo the straps and ease the pressure. Nico’s arm felt a little numb, but it was a worthy exchange to be able to look at Will for so long.

 _Woah,_ Nico thought to himself. _Bad thoughts. Go away._

“So, where am I gonna be?” Nico asked.

Will tapped his chin. “Well, I was planning on having you sleep on a recovery couch, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why?” Nico said.

Will shrugged. “They’re not really meant for long-term. We’ll probably have you in for three days or so, give or take, and you’ll probably be sleeping most of the time.”

“What other options do I have?” Nico asked.

Will gave him a wink. “I think we can use up one of our special rooms.”

 _Special rooms?_ Nico thought. Will hadn’t said it with any kind of malice, but Nico had a bad feeling associated with anything called “special.” It felt like a code-word for “bad but I don’t want to scare/offend you.”

Will opened the door before Nico could respond though, gesturing with his head to follow him. Nico obliged. Will led him a few doors down, which opened into a dark hallway.

“We only use the rooms when there aren’t a lot of campers in the infirmary, or if we have an overflow,” Will admitted, “but they’re good for sleeping. Sometimes we use them for campers who need a lot more time to recover, or coma patients. You don’t exactly qualify, but I can’t see you having a good time out with everyone else. It tends to get loud, and you really need to sleep a _lot.”_

Nico didn’t like the way he said _a lot._ “I’m malleable,” he said. “I can sleep in almost any condition. You can put me out there.”

“Dude,” Will said. “This is a good thing. A room all to yourself. Don’t you want that?”

Nico hesitated. “I suppose so. Thanks, I guess.”

Will opened a door and went inside, flipping on another light switch. “Don’t mention it.” He looked at Nico’s face. “To be clear, I’m not treating you differently because I like you, don’t like you, or don’t think you’ll get along with everyone else. I’m giving you this room because your needs are different.”

Nico nodded. “Okay.”

“Great,” Will said, smiling. “Well, welcome to your home for the next three days.”

“Give or take,” Nico reminded him.

“Give,” Will argued. “No way you’re recovering in less than three days. I won’t have it.”

Nico glared at him. Will raised his eyebrows back, entirely unaffected. They stayed like that for a few seconds before Nico receded. “Whatever.”

Will grinned. “Wonderful. We can get your clothes in here, or whatever you need.”

“I pretty much have what I’m wearing,” Nico told him.

“Hmm,” Will said. He marked something off on his clipboard. “We can take care of that. But you’re going to have to let me pick out your clothes.”

Nico eyed Will’s flip-flops suspiciously. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Will smiled again. “Hey, I can have fashion sense when I want to! I’d have some friends from Hermes steal you something, but knowing them, they’d probably write something on the back.” Will tucked his clipboard under his armpit and outstretched his hands. “‘Camp Half-Blood.’ Pegasus picture. ‘KICK ME,’ written in all caps.”

Nico side-eyed him. Will must have amused himself, because he kept his smile.

“So,” he said, “I know I said you’ll need to sleep, and you definitely will, but you’re going to need sun, too.” He gestured to the window with his clip-board. “That’s going to help. Also…” He stopped and looked at his hands. “Dang it! Where did I put it down?”

“What?” Nico asked.

“I had a jar when we came in, right?” Will asked. “Sparkly contents?”

“Oh,” Nico said. He had totally forgotten about the jar of honey. “You had it coming out of your cabin.”

“Dang it,” Will muttered. “I’ll find it. Anyway, I’m going to go to breakfast, and then I’m going to come back and give you food, and then you’re going to go to sleep.”

“You sure about that?” Nico asked slyly. “What if I’m not tired?”

Will huffed. “I’m a healer. I can _feel_ what’s wrong with people when I touch them. You’re tired. Did you get any sleep last night?”

Nico opened his mouth before realizing he hadn’t. He wasn’t sure what would be worse: saying “No” or staying silent.

Apparently he took the second option by default while thinking about it, because Will said, “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Get into bed, Death Boy.”

“That’s not— You can’t—” Nico tried to object, but the words wouldn’t come to him.

Will smiled at him, tilting his head back. It only made Nico even more indignant.

“Is that, like, a power you have or something?” Nico asked.

“To make you unable to argue with me?” Will asked innocently.

“I didn’t— that’s not—” Nico started, but realized he was doing it again. He decided to shut up and get into bed. He took off his shoes and crashed on the mattress, facing away from. It must have been one of those special mattresses, or maybe it was enchanted; it fit around his body perfectly, supporting the curve of his side. He hadn’t aimed for the pillow, but he found his head aligning with it. 

“Don’t be a baby,” Will said.

“How am I being a baby?” Nico asked. The snap he’d wanted in his voice didn’t come through like he’d wanted it to.

“You’re pouting,” Will said.

“Am not.”

“Aww,” Will cooed. Nico heard the creak of the floorboards as Will approached the bed. “Actually, don’t stop. It’s kind of cute.”

He said it mockingly, but Nico’s chest felt like it was about to burst.

To add insult to injury, Will ruffled Nico’s hair before he left. 

* * *

Chiron came into the room after about half an hour. He was in his wheelchair form with his hair in thick brown curls and his beard calmer than it had been the last few days. He looked about as tired as Nico felt.

“Ah, hello,” he said. “I thought I might find you here.”

Nico sat up in bed, letting his legs dangle off the side of the bed. “How was breakfast?”

Chiron smiled lightly. “It was good. Lots of tears. I suppose some campers made friends in the short interval that the Romans were here.”

“Hazel,” Nico realized. “I didn’t get to say goodbye.”

Chiron nodded. “She left a letter with Jason. I imagine he’ll be by shortly.”

Nico shifted, his fingers twisting into the comforter. “What brings you here?”

Chiron reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a paper. “You’re a new head counselor. Of course, this comes with expectations.” He handed the paper to Nico. 

Nico looked at the paper. It was an itemized list of responsibilities and rules for camp counselors, with a line to sign at the bottom and a spot for initials next to each topic:

__ I. I will obey all camp rules and set a good example for my siblings and the residents of my cabin.

__ II. I will follow my responsibilities allotted to me by the weekly schedule. I will do these tasks without complaint and with dignity.

__ III. I understand the weight of my position and the fact that I am expected to undertake a leadership role in combat as well as daily life.

__ IV. I know that my position can be usurped in the case that one of my siblings who has more questing experience than me challenges me to a duel. If I lose my counselorship, I will not bear bad blood to the new counselor.

__ V. I understand that counselorship is a privilege and not a right and that my counselorship may be revoked in the case of egregious behavior.

__ VI. I will keep my cabin clean and tidy at all times.

__ VII. I will take responsibility for my siblings’ actions, within reason.

__ VIII. I will not partake in or permit dating within my own cabin.

__ IX. I will not engage in inappropriate behavior with anyone while within campgrounds or while representing the camp— especially other counselors.

__ X. I understand that while camp is meant to be fun, its primary purpose is to train half-bloods for survival.

__ XI. I will keep an open mind and will not maltreat anyone— especially my siblings.

__ XII. I understand that the punishment of campers is not always within my domain. Though I may assign small tasks to keep my siblings behaving, major behavioral issues should always be taken up with camp staff.

__ XIII. I accept all of these terms willingly of my own volition.

SIGNATURE: _____________________________________________________________

Chiron handed him a pen. It looked suspiciously like Riptide, Percy’s pen that would turn into a sword when uncapped. Nico gravely hoped he wouldn’t accidentally impale himself when trying to sign. How embarrassing would that be? Embarrassing as everything else in his life. At this point, Nico had a pretty good idea of the epitaph on his tombstone: HERE LIES NICO DI ANGELO, KILLED BY SOMETHING REALLY EMBARRASSING.

Luckily, the pen proved to be a normal pen. He started initialing, looking at Chiron over the paper. “Do all of the counselors have to do this?”

“Recently, yes,” Chiron said. “We’ve had some problems with counselors lately. But it is a recent development, employed around last spring. All current counselors have signed off, save for those who haven’t been at camp, like Percy or you.”

Nico nodded, understanding. He knew that Piper took control over Drew Tanaka a few months ago. He didn’t know Drew all that well, but he could scarcely imagine her being a good role model.

“I should mention,” Chiron added, “violation of most of these has punishments to suit the crime. We Greeks, we like our irony.”

Nico thought about the Fields of Punishment. It was his second least favorite part of the underworld (the champion being Tartarus— congratulations for being the absolute worst!). He had only been there a few times, but it was enough to scare him. Tantalus, never being able to eat or drink after trying to trick the gods into cannibalism. Sisyphus, condemned to rolling a rock up a hill for eternity to prove how useless avoiding death is. Or even in the mortal world, Lycaon, who Nico had recently sent back to Tartarus, forced to hunger for human meat forever after committing the same crime as Tantalus. Yes, the Greeks liked appropriate punishments.

“Nothing too bad?” Nico prompted.

“Depends on what you consider ‘bad,’” Chiron said. “If you’re asking if we’re like the Romans, with their waterboarding and weasels, the answer is no. But you do not want to break that contract.”

Nico nodded. He signed off at the bottom and handed the paper back to Chiron.

“Thank you, Nico,” Chiron said, looking at Nico with a twinkle in his eye. “On a personal note, I’m quite proud of you. I know I have no right… I didn’t train you, but your progress has… has made me rather happy.”

Nico could feel his face turn hot. He really did not like to be complimented. He’d rather be insulted, really, because at least he knew how to respond to that. “Reyna and Hedge did most of the work, really.”

Chiron shook his head. “I didn’t mean your quest. I mean you staying here, working with Will, cooperating with the camp. It’s good to see.”

“Oh.” Somehow, that made Nico even redder.

Chiron chuckled a bit at the reaction. “I’ll see you soon, Nico di Angelo. I look forward to working with you.”

Nico tilted his head. “Likewise.”

Chiron smiled and wheeled himself out of the room.

In Chiron’s absence, Nico took his first good look around. The walls were painted baby blue, the same bright color as Will’s eyes, with a stripe of wallpaper in the center of each wall— flowers in pink, yellow, and light green. The floor here was wooden, brown with a warm undertone made warmer by the sunlight splashing in through the window. The window, like the rest of the room, had white trim, with lacy white curtains. In the corner, there was a dresser, next to it, a mirror. Next to the bed was a white bed stand, with slots for books and a lamp with a green shade. The bed where Nico was sitting was rather large, maybe a queen, with yellow sheets and a violet comforter. The whole room was put together fantastically so it all felt very homey. The more Nico saw the other parts of Camp, the more miffed he was that he got stuck with the windowless, 19th-century-inspired vampiric Hades cabin.

Jason and Reyna came by a minute later. Nico shook Reyna’s hand in greeting, though the twinkle in her dark eyes made it clear she’d be happy with a hug. She had taken to wearing a purple tank-top in lieu of her usual toga and cape. Her hair was up in a braid crown, slick and neat. As for pants, she had on thick women’s dress pants.

She noticed Nico looking. “Oh,” she said, touching at the fabric. “A gift that came to camp yesterday. A gift from my sister to tell me she’s alive, I suppose.”

Nico imagined a cardboard Amazon box with a smiley face on the side up on Half-Blood Hill, a very amused Peleus sniffing at a bewildered delivery man. “You’ve a lot to talk about, you and her.”

Reyna made a facial expression that was half-smile, half-grimace. “Yes, we do.”

Jason shifted uncomfortably. “Right, well. I’ve got a letter.” He handed Nico a neatly-wrapped envelope with his name written in handwriting so beautiful it could pass for typed font, or calligraphy.

“Thanks,” Nico said as he opened it.

It was, just as Chiron had foretold, from Hazel, basically to say goodbye and that she loves him and that they would start Iris-messaging every day as soon as she got back to New Rome.  
“She’s extra affectionate,” Nico noted. It felt nice, like he was wanted.

Jason gave a sideways smile. “Hazel’s a sweetheart.”

“She’s competent,” Reyna commented. “As much as I admire Frank, I’m quite glad Hazel will be on the sidelines guiding him.”

“Yeah,” Nico said. He looked at Jason. “So, you’re staying, too, right? Bouncing between the camps?”

Jason touched the back of his neck self-consciously. “That’s the plan. I think.”

Nico didn’t know what that was supposed to mean, but chose to temporarily ignore it. A question for another time. “And Reyna?”

“Heading back to New Rome,” she said. “Hopefully I’ll see you often, Nico.”

Nico smiled a bit. He really did like Reyna. She was the kind of elegant he’d seen in Bianca, the kind of able he saw in Hazel. And, on top of that, she seemed to like him these days, too. “Yeah, hopefully. I might shadow-travel out—”

“But not until you’re healthy again, right?”

“Of course. I’m not an idiot.”

“That’s debatable,” said another voice from the hall. Will bustled in, some clothes tucked under one arm and the jar of honey in the crook of his elbow, his other hand holding a plate. He smiled when he saw Nico sitting up and put the plate on his lap. Breakfast looked splendid as it always did at Camp Half-Blood: scrambled eggs with low-fat, home-made hashbrowns and pancakes. 

Nico looked at the food, and then at Will. “You’re such a pain.”

“Shut up,” Will said, and the conversation was effectively over. He turned to Reyna and Jason. “Hi, Jason.”

“Will.” Jason beamed. “It’s been a while. You’re the one looking out for him?”

“I’m not a child,” Nico protested.

“Yes,” Will responded to Jason, completely ignoring Nico.

Reyna cleared her throat. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Oh,” Will said, dusting off his hands on his pants. He reached over for a handshake. Reyna obliged him. “I’m Will Solace, head counselor for the Apollo cabin, leading medic.”

“Apollo?” Reyna raised an eyebrow with curiosity. “I can respect that. I’m Reyna, Praetor of the Twelfth Legion of Rome.”

Will whistled in appreciation. “That’s really cool.”

Reyna smiled. “Well, I’d better get out, but I hope all of you do well until we meet again.” She reached over and squeezed Nico’s shoulder reassuringly. Nico put his hand on her wrist and smiled. She looked at him fondly, then left, leaving Will, Jason, and Nico alone.

Jason’s eyes darted between Will and Nico like he was expecting them to start punching each other. “Yeah, I’d better leave too. I got duties and… stuff.”

He seemed very absent today, Nico noted. He wondered what had happened at breakfast. “See you.”

“Yeah, man.”

Jason left.

Will looked at Nico inquisitively. “You’re close with them?”

“‘Close’ might not be the right word,” Nico replied, “but I respect and like them both well enough.

Will hummed, then pointed at the dish, still on Nico’s lap. “Eat your food.”

Nico started eating. Will leaned against the closed door and watched him. After about a minute Nico stopped. “This is awkward.”

“Yeah,” Will agreed. 

Nico took a second before gesturing next to him. “Come sit down. Talk to me.”

Will sat down closer than Nico had expected him to. They were just short of touching. “Talk to you about what?”

Nico shrugged. “Tell me a story. Just until I’m done eating.”

“Uh, okay,” Will said. He tilted back his head in thought. “Umm, did I ever tell you about the time when the entire Ares cabin got splinters?”

“You haven’t told me a whole lot,” Nico said through his food. “In case you forgot, we’re not exactly friends.”

Will rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure. Anyway, a while back, the Demeter cabin and Ares cabin got into a fight. Ares naturally thought they were superior, because they always do. But the Demeter cabin had pretty much been fed up with the constant insults and all. They made it so the strawberry plants would be just out of reach every time an Ares kid reached for a fruit. Ares was on picking duty that week, so when they came back after five days of trying completely empty-handed, they got stable duty for a month, and horses tend not to like Ares kids.”

“Gods,” Nico said, nibbling on a piece of pancake.

Will nodded. “Yeah, so of course the Ares cabin took revenge. They went on an absolute rampage. Destroyed the entire Demeter cabin. Broke flowerpots, dumped mounds of fertilizer in the beds, totally crazy. No one was injured, but the Demeter cabin was ticked.”

“I’ve met Demeter,” Nico said. “Bitter lady. Always going on about cereal.”

Will laughed. “Duly noted. Anyway, as it turns out, some of the dryads were caught in the ruckus. They were furious too, so Katie Gartner struck up a deal with a few nymphs: they’d curse the Ares cabin to have perpetual splinters.”

Nico bit his lip to keep from laughing. _Punishment fits the crime._

“You think it’s funny,” Will accused. “It is— in theory, but not in reality. Why? _I_ had to take care of them. _I_ had to dig little bits of wood out of fingers, noses, toes, and even less savory places.”

Nico couldn’t help himself. He covered his mouth to laugh.

“It’s not funny!” Will said, though he looked like he was trying to keep from laughing himself. “The worst part? It lasted a really long time, and you know how when people are stressed or in small bits of pain for a long time they just break down?”

Nico didn’t really know, but he nodded.

“They all started crying,” Will said. “It was terrible. Like a chain reaction. One started sobbing when I pulled out his, like, twenty-fourth splinter, and then the rest of them started all at once.”

The mental image of a dozen burly guys and girls crying like children throwing temper tantrums was almost too much for Nico to handle. He bit his lip as hard as he could and finished his meal. The story itself wasn’t so funny as Will was. Something about his inflection, the way he talked about it, made it so much more hilarious.

When Nico looked over at Will, he had an ineffable urge to reach out and touch him. It was like the veins drawing blood from his heart to his fingers wanted to connect with Will’s to make one big cardiovascular system. 

Will smiled at Nico like he was reading his mind and thinking _Aww, how endearing._ “Better get to bed, Lazy Bones.”

“‘Lazy Bones?’” Nico said. “That’s a new one.”

Will stood up and took the plate off of Nico’s lap. “I’ll even tuck you in if you want.”

Nico knew he had to be kidding. Still, something in his rib cage rattled. “Get out, Solace.”

Will laughed. “I’ll see you in a few hours, Nico.”

* * *

If by “a few” Will had meant “twelve,” he was right. Nico had fallen asleep surprisingly quickly after he left, within the hour. For the first time ever, Nico had no dreams at Camp. None at all— which was really weird. It almost made him more nervous to have a day of restful sleep, like the other shoe would drop hard, and probably right onto his face.

He was woken up by a hand gently shaking his shoulder. He groaned a little bit before opening his eyes, to which Will’s voice responded, “Oh, save your breath.”

Nico sat up in bed. By now, the sunlight coming through the window was dim, the sky navy blue turning to black. The lamp on the bed stand next to him was on, the green shade casting a warm glow onto the walls. Will had crossed the room to sort the clothes he brought in earlier into drawers. Nico watched his silhouette, the muscles on his back expand and contract…

He snapped himself out of it. “What time is it?” he asked.

“Almost eight,” Will replied. “I bought you pajamas.”

“I don’t wear pajamas.”

“You do now,” Will said matter-of-factly. He tossed Nico a grey T-shirt and a pair of fuzzy pants with a blue and green plaid pattern. Nico felt the clothes. They were soft against his hands. Will turned around to look at him. “No way I’m having you wear normal clothes in one of my beds.”

Nico made a face. “I’ve been sleeping here all day in normal clothes.”

“You hadn’t been out in them too much,” Will responded.

“And I _won’t_ , will I?” 

Will waved his hand dismissively. “Stop complaining. It’s just camp rules.”

Nico didn’t want to change, but it was hard to argue against Will. “You’re so stubborn.”

“That’s because I’m always right,” Will said with a wink. “Doctor knows best.”

“You’re a _healer_ ,” Nico argued. “Not a doctor. You’ve never attended college.”

“You don’t know that,” Will said jokingly. “I could be a young prodigy. Graduated at age eleven.”

Nico held back a smile. “When did you even get to Camp Half-Blood?”

Will tilted back his head to think. “Hmm, I think I had just turned twelve. I was here for the Battle of the Labyrinth.”

“Me too,” Nico said.

Will blinked. “I know. I remember. Zombies and stuff. I was equally amazed and grossed out.”

“Gee, thanks,” Nico mumbled. Will leaned over to smack the top of his head lightly enough not to hurt but hard enough to make Nico’s bedhead worse.

Will nodded towards the bedside table. “Food’s here. I promise I didn’t poison it.”

Nico glared at him. “Am I supposed to thank you?”

“It did take a lot of willpower,” Will said. “Are you going to sit up, or are you going to make me spoon-feed you?”

Nico grunted and tossed off the blanket, swinging his legs off the bed and reaching for the meal. 

Will sat down next to him, cheek in hand. “Did you know you’re a cuddler? I didn’t take you for a cuddler.”

Nico shoved a forkful of salad into his mouth while giving Will a look. 

Will took the invitation to elaborate. “You hold blankets, pillows, or whatever to your chest when you sleep.”

Nico swallowed his food. “Just _how_ long now were you watching me before you woke me up?”

The tips of Will’s ears turned red. _So he’s an ear blusher,_ Nico noted. “I wasn’t! Watching you, I mean. It’s just easily observable!” He pointed at the center of the bed, where Nico had been lying. The sheets were all clumped together there, and the indent of Nico’s body was still on the side.

“Huh,” Nico said. “I guess I’m just used to sleeping wherever. Totally forgot my habits in a regular bed.”

Will hummed. “How’s the food?”

“It’s camp food,” Nico said. “It’s perfect, just like always.” He paused. “How’re the campers adjusting?”

“They seem to be rolling with the punches really well,” Will said. “It’s like we’re just moving on.”

Nico huffed. “Well, if there’s one thing demigods are good at…”

Will nodded, then nudged Nico with his shoulder. “Did you have to sign the counselor thing? I meant to ask when I first came in this morning.”

“Yeah,” Nico said. “A lot of expected things. Chiron started talking about how punishment fits the crime.”

Will smiled. “It usually does. When the paper first came out and counselors had to start signing off, we joked that the ‘unjust punishment of a sibling’ item’s violation would earn you a public whipping in the green.”

Nico squinted at him. “It doesn’t, does it?”

Will shrugged. “No one knows yet. It hasn’t been violated.”

Nico wanted to keep the conversation going, but couldn’t think of a lot to say. “Who’s your favorite sibling?”

Will laughed. “What kind of a question is that?”

“I’m trying to be friendly!” Nico argued. Something about Will’s laugh was more infectious than his father’s plagues.

“‘Friendly?’” Will asked. His eyes were still twinking, his mouth still curved. His teeth were straight and white, but not blinding. Nico tried to remember the last time he brushed his teeth and immediately felt self-conscious. Will cocked his head. “Weird version of friendly. But, um, sure, I’ll play along. My favorite sibling… Austin, maybe?”

“Who’s Austin?” Nico asked.

“Saxophone player,” Will said. “African-American. Cornrows. Thirteen. He’s just a really sweet guy.”

“The one who looks like he just popped out of the industrial revolution?” Nico asked.

Will laughed again. This time, he touched Nico’s arm, and a jolt went down Nico’s spine. “That’d be the one.”

“That’s cool,” Nico said dumbly.

Will’s eyes glittered. They looked darker now that it was nighttime, like a deep blue with twinkling stars of humor. “I’d ask you the same, but not a lot of options, huh? It’s just Hazel, right?”

Nico bit his lip. _Sore topic._ He took a second to decide if he wanted to talk about his past a bit. He rested on _Later._ “Yeah, Hazel’s the only other living Hades— or Pluto— kid I know about.”

“Are you two close?” Will asked.

“Yeah,” Nico said. It was true; over the last year, since he’d met her, she’d really had a huge impact on his life. Without her, he might not be here— either _here_ as in Camp Half-Blood or _here_ as in _alive._

“That’s nice,” Will said. “I hope I get the chance to talk to her a little more.”

“She’s from the thirties, too,” Nico said. “Well… technically twenties. Born in ‘29.”

Will mouthed, _Oh._ Then he spoke: “Lotus Hotel? Like you?”

“No, she just died,” Nico admitted, nibbling at a piece of lean pork rib. “I brought her back about a year ago.”

“Huh,” Will said, looking away from Nico. “Your family is so interesting.”

Nico wanted to say a lot of things. He wanted to touch Will’s face and make him look him in the eyes. He wanted to prod at his lips with a thumb. He wondered how soft those lips were. Instead, he just smiled a little bit to himself. The ideas were funny, really. How would Will even react to that? Slap him off and call him an idiot? Probably. “I’d like to know more about your mom,” Nico found himself mumbling. 

Will perked up. “Oh, my mom’s great.” He laughed to himself. “She’s a singer. I mentioned, right?”

“Right,” Nico confirmed.

“Yeah, well,” Will said, “there’s a bit of an oversaturation problem for a singer in a big city like Austin. She mostly does shows at places in the suburbs, where we live. She opened for Tim McGraw once, way back in the nineties.”

“Tim McGraw?” Nico asked.

Will blinked. “You’ve never heard of Tim McGraw?”

“Can’t say I have,” Nico admitted.

Will rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, man. Well, I don’t even like him all that much, but you gotta listen to some of his songs. You just gotta. For cultural reasons.”

When Will talked about country music, Nico noticed a little accent in his voice he hadn’t noticed before. It was subtle, sure, like how people who grow up in the suburbs of most big cities have a subdued accent, but it was definitely there— a charming little Southern twang, like the strings of a banjo playing gently in the background of a monologue. Nico’s heart felt like jelly.

“You can introduce me sometime,” Nico said.

Will smiled. “I’ve got an MP3 player. It’s technically not allowed, but I managed to smuggle it in. I’ll bring it over tomorrow.”

Nico nodded. Then he realized that in this conversation, he’d completely lost whatever _cool exterior_ he had had. And then he realized he didn’t even care. Will was really nice, so sincere…

Or whatever. Not that Nico cared. 


	2. Day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Day 2 baby!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to apologize in advance for the nectar thing. I am fully aware of how convoluted it is and how I kind of whipped it out of no where with no mythological backing, but... I mean, didn't Rick do the same thing with Shadow Travel? I hope none of you guys got your expectations up too high for this one! I saw your comments on the last chapter, which were all super sweet. I hope you guys like this chapter as much as you did the last!

When Nico fell asleep, he found himself in some kind of restaurant— nicer than any place he’d been since the 40’s. He sat in a chair before a table with a white tablecloth. Around him was an elegant set-up, rich couples laughing and clinking glasses. Surrounding the room were big white pillars, going from the floor to a high ceiling. There was some kind of balcony encircling the room, too, like something you’d see in a movie about a ballroom, where the guests could stand and watch the other guests mill about. The men all wore ties and the women wore dresses, like they were coming from a wedding, but there was no bride or groom in sight.  _ Maybe it’s just the dress code _ , Nico thought. Suddenly, he was very self-conscious, remembering the pajamas he’d fallen asleep in. But when he looked down, he was wearing a red velvet tuxedo with a black undershirt. He hadn’t worn anything this fancy since his army uniform from Westover Hall. But if this was a dream— and Nico was sure it was a dream— why was he wearing such swanky clothes?

“Oh, the suit is my treat,” said a voice off to his left.

He looked over to find a woman on the move. She sat in the seat across from him, crossing her legs and taking a napkin to lay in her lap. Maybe  _ she  _ was the bride; she wore an elegant white dress that caught in the light with iridescence, like it was an old CD— a mixtape of sappy love songs. To match, she wore white opal jewelry, a necklace and earrings. The only thing that didn’t match perfectly was her wedding ring, which was a sparking gold on the inner part, but brass on the outside, like it was regularly removed. Her makeup was flawless and glamorous, and her hair was pulled back out of her face. Her face itself was gorgeous, but Nico couldn’t tell you more than that— it kept shifting, becoming beautiful in a whole new way every second. Like her dress, her skin and hair seemed to change color in the light, going from copper to snow to dark umber. 

“Aphrodite,” Nico guessed.

Aphrodite beamed at him. Her smile was brilliant, but it shifted, too, some looking at it almost gave Nico a headache. “You’re clever.”

“Thank you,” Nico said. He’d learned from personal experience dealing with certain unnamed minor gods that one should always accept a compliment from the divine.

Aphrodite sighed and looked around the room. “Nice here, isn’t it? Have you ever been?”

“I don’t think so,” Nico admitted.

“Hmm.” Aphrodite bit her lip with a little smile. “The Walnut Room. Chicago, Illinois. It’s nicer around Christmastime… but this does just fine, don’t you think?”

Nico pretended to look around as if he was interested. Really, his unease was getting worse by the second. Why had she called him here? “It’s a very nice place.”

Aphrodite smiled again and reached her hand across the table. Nico wasn’t sure what she was asking for, but he took her hand in his. That seemed to make her happy. “It suits you.”

The goddess’s hands felt warm and real. Blame Nico’s ADHD, but he couldn’t help asking, “Why am I here?”

Aphrodite giggled— a heavenly sound evocative of bells. “Oh, my dear Nico. You’re too anxious.” She let go of his hand and leaned back in her seat. “You’re expecting me to issue you a task.”

Nico hesitated before replying. “I mean, yeah.”

She shook her head, tutting. “Honestly! All of my fellow Olympians are so  _ depressing.  _ They’re always looking to  _ gain  _ something. But do they ever help? When has a god last assisted  _ you,  _ Nico di Angelo?”

Nico was a bit disturbed by the sentiment. He remembered this type of language, the attempts at persuasion. He’d heard them used by traitors during the Titan War. He hoped this wasn’t the lane Aphrodite was heading down.

She looked him in the eyes. “I am  _ not  _ thinking of betraying my brethren, Nico. I’m simply saying…” She sighed dramatically. “They have a tendency to take more than they give. That is not what love is about. Love is about giving and taking in equal measure, about maintaining a balance of goodwill. Your father and the other gods believe that they have done their part in merely not smiting you.” Her eyes sparkled. “I believe in a more hands-on approach.”

“So you’re here to give me something?” Nico asked. 

Aphrodite’s frown was just as beautiful as her smile. “ _ No,  _ Nico. I’m here to chat.”

“‘Chat?’” Nico repeated back. “Chat about what?”

“Well,” Aphrodite said, checking her flawless nails, “I  _ am  _ the goddess of love.”

Nico had no idea what she was talking about, but he felt his face getting red anyway. He did not like this subject. He was done with love for a very long time, so her answer really didn’t tell him anything. 

She smiled sympathetically. “Oh, don’t be shy, dear. I naturally already know all about it, but I’d like to hear it from you.”

“Hear  _ what  _ from me?” Nico asked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. And the nice clothes and the restaurant? Is that supposed to coax something out of me? I don’t even know what you’re asking for.”

Nico remembered Split, Croatia. He remembered how Cupid had tossed him around like a sack of flour to get him to admit something he was nowhere ready to admit. This must be Aphrodite’s version.

Aphrodite shook her head, though. “You’re so pessimistic. I am not looking to get anything out of you.” She picked up her menu with a dainty hand and smiled down at it sadly. “I realized I’d been neglectful of you. Feelings, when left unchecked… well…”

Percy Jackson, Nico thought bitterly. She knew all about Percy Jackson. Nico’s feelings towards Percy continued to be a touchy topic, like an old scar that still kind of hurt when you pressed down on it. He was a bit worried about how Percy would respond when he came out of Will’s care. Nico had kind of left him high and dry, left him to ponder Nico’s emotions for him. 

Aphrodite frowned at her empty glass. “I can’t believe no one has filled this yet.”

“You’re in a dream,” Nico reminded her. “You aren’t actually here.”

“ _ You’re  _ not actually here,” she chided. “I  _ am. _ ” She snapped her manicured fingers over her head, looking off to her left. “Waiter? Some water, please?”

Nico watched as a young African-American man in a nice vest made his way over carrying a glass jug of water. He smiled at Aphrodite as he poured his drink. She smiled back. He must have gotten lost in her eyes, because he overflowed the cup, dampening the tablecloth. Upon realizing, he jumped back. “Ma’am, I’m so sorry! I’ll fix that for you right away!”

Aphrodite gave him a perplexed look. “What’s there to fix?” She waved her hand dismissively, and the mess was gone.

The server looked at Aphrodite, then at the table, then at Aphrodite again. “Oh.” He shifted, the water jug in his hands now considerably less full. He was baffled, but Nico could already see the Mist forming in his eyes.

“Thank you,” Aphrodite said, her eyes sparkling. 

The server seemed to enter a trance, and then he instantly snapped out of it. “Of course, ma’am. My pleasure.”

He walked off as confidently as he’d come forth. Aphrodite rested her hand in her palm. “He’s cute, isn’t he?” She sighed longingly. Then she seemed to remember Nico. “Yes, well…”

“Do you look like you’re talking to yourself?” Nico asked. “To the mortals, I mean.”

“Oh, they see you at a glance.” She tilted her head. “When they look back, I’m sitting here alone sadly, as if I’ve been stood up.” Her eyes glittered. “Luckily, I have  _ not  _ been stood up. So, Will Solace. Tell me about him.”

Nico gritted his teeth. What about  _ Will  _ of all people did she want to know? Despite preaching about how she didn’t want anything from Nico, here Aphrodite was, poking the bear. “He’s the head of the Apollo cabin. He’s a medic.”

“Well, yes.” Aphrodite sounded disappointed. “But how do you  _ feel  _ about him?”

_ What was she asking for?  _ In any case, it made Nico feel violated. He tried to think about how he felt about Will Solace for a moment— Will’s stubbornness, his pride, his determination, his eyes and sensitivity…

Something in Nico’s head screamed  _ DANGER.  _ He bit his lip and said, “I honestly don’t want to talk about it.”

“Yes,” Aphrodite mused, “because not talking about your feelings is  _ exactly  _ the right thing to do in this situation.” She straightened in her seat and brought her glass to her lips, took a sip, and put it back down. “Let’s face it, Nico: You had to be forced to talk about Percy. If Eros hadn’t made you, you would have never admitted to being gay.”

The word  _ gay  _ bristled against Nico’s skin like needles. He hated that he liked boys. He wished he didn’t. But he did, and there was nothing he could do about it. He wasn’t even sure if he could bring himself to like girls. But the word  _ gay _ sounded like an insult, even though he was certain Aphrodite hadn’t meant it that way.

Nico put his hands on the table and pushed himself to his feet. “I don’t know what you want from me. Will is my doctor— maybe friend one day, if we’re pushing it, but that’s  _ all.  _ I don’t have time for this.”

Aphrodite’s kind gaze turned steely for just a second before she regained her cheerful composure. “And why not? Time is not linear in dreams. And even if it was, what else would you be doing? Lying in bed awake until your  _ crush _ brings you breakfast?”

That was the final straw. Nico walked away from the table and headed for the exit.

Aphrodite’s voice had lost its sweetness when it called after him, like a pastry turning sour when left out for too long. “You’re still running! What are you running from? What are you running  _ to _ ? There are no more quests, son of Hades! You have peace at long last!”

The way those words felt when Nico heard them, you have thought  _ peace _ was a bad thing.

He got to the doors, big and brass, and pushed them open onto light.

* * *

Nico woke up to Will’s voice: “That’s weird.”

He opened his eyes warily. Again, his body was pressed against a mass of blankets.  _ A cuddler,  _ Will had called him. He supposed he  _ was  _ a bit of a cuddler, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

He sat up in bed. Will was looking inside of the drawers of the dresser at the end of the bed. “Hey,” Nico said.

Will jolted up like he was surprised. “Oh, hey! I got you some extra french toast since you didn’t get any lunch yesterday.”

The gesture was touching— touching in the sense of a feather duster against Nico’s heart, so significant he wasn’t sure if he should sneeze or not. Then he remembered his dream with Aphrodite and the touching turned to prodding with a long steel pole. “Thanks,” he grumbled.

“You sound ungrateful,” Will commented, putting his hands on his hips. His face was straight, but Nico could tell he was joking around.

_ Stupid Aphrodite shouldn’t make you angry at Will,  _ said a voice in Nico’s head. 

_ Shut up,  _ Nico told the voice. Nevertheless, he obliged. This time, in a more sincere tone: “Thanks, really.”

Will looked really nice like this— his face a mixture between surprised and touched. “Oh. No big deal or anything.”

He walked over and sat down on the bed next to Nico. Nico could swear each time, Will got a teensy bit closer.

“Any interesting dreams?” Will asked.

Nico debated telling him before deciding  _ HARD NO.  _ “Nope,” Nico said.

Will hummed and looked up at the ceiling fan. “I did.”

Nico waited for him to continue, but he didn’t. But the more Nico thought about it, the more he wanted to know. “What about?”

Will glanced at him, then back up at the fan. “Oh, just weird stuff. There was a confetti train. My sister Kayla was there.” He paused, like he was considering his words. “You were there. Mitt Romney was there, too, and he got into a fistfight with Ben Carson…” He cleared his throat and looked Nico in the eyes. “Anyway, there’s some clothes in your drawers that I  _ know  _ I didn’t get you. Where’d you get something like that?”

“Like  _ what? _ ” Nico asked. He hadn’t gotten out of bed since he’d changed into pajamas the previous night. 

Will got up, the spring of the mattress bumping Nico a bit. He walked over to the dresser and pulled out a jacket… a red velvet tuxedo jacket.

Nico had to fight a groan. What was Aphrodite  _ thinking?  _ Was this a bribe? A threat? A plain old good-hearted gift? He wasn’t sure, and it would bother him until he knew.

Will glared at him. “You look all grumpy. It’s a nice jacket. Why are you grumpy?”

“Am not,” Nico mumbled.

“Are too,” Will said. He put the jacket on the top of the dresser momentarily and pulled his orange Camp Half-Blood pullover hoodie over his head. The jacket caught on his T-shirt, and, for just a second, a little sliver of tanned abdomen was visible, and Nico almost forgot to breathe. He looked away as Will folded his hoodie nicely and put it on the bed, and then he picked up the suit jacket and put his arms through the holes. Then he held out his hands like he was looking for applause. “Well? How do I look?”

He looked endearingly silly, but there was no way Nico was going to say that outloud. Instead, he said, “Stupid. Go back to scrubs.”

Will tutted as he took the jacket off. “You’re so rude.  _ This  _ is why you don’t have friends.” He hesitated. “Well, except for me. And Jason. And Reyna, and Hazel, and—”

“What, are you trying to guilt trip me?” Nico interrupted.

Will shot him a look before folding the jacket and sticking it back into the top drawer. “Eat your breakfast, Death Boy.”

Nico grabbed his breakfast off of the nightstand and started eating the French toast. Will sat down beside him. He  _ definitely  _ was getting closer every time. Nico could feel the indent of the plush mattress under Will on his own legs.

“Seriously, though,” Will said. “Where did you get it?”

Nico swallowed a bite. “Nowhere important.”

Suddenly, a wind gushed in through the open window, blowing the curtains away from the screen. They billowed elegantly, but Nico could tell it was meant to be a threat. Apparently, Will could too. “A god?”

“Goddess,” Nico corrected miserably. 

“Which one?” Will asked.

“Does it matter?” Nico spat. Will was starting to seriously bug him, despite how nice he looked with his hair freshly windswept like that… his eyes the same vibrant blue as they’d been the day before… his large, capable hand on the bed only inches away from Nico’s own…

It was impossible to stay mad at Will. Will was impossible to deal with. Lethal combination.

He pouted mockingly. “Fine.  _ Don’t  _ tell me who gave you the jacket.” His voice was obviously kidding, but Nico had a sneaking suspicion it actually had hurt his feelings. Still, Nico really, really didn’t want to talk about it. 

He’d wait it out, he decided. Stay out of Will’s way. Don’t give Aphrodite any satisfaction. Distance himself, he supposed. Granted, that was going to be hard with Will being his primary caretaker. Will was the one who brought his food, the one who gave him human connection while he recovered. But it had to be done, or Nico would never be free from the gods’ tight chokehold on his life. No boys. Not for a very, very long time, he resolved.

_ You already tried that,  _ said a voice in the back of Nico’s head.  _ For  _ years.  _ Or have you already forgotten about Percy? _

Percy. It was a lot better these days, but the name still felt like icy cold salt water in Nico’s veins. But he’d made his peace. He didn’t  _ want  _ a crush. He didn’t want anything, besides a normal, average, calm, boring old life. 

_ I guess that’s part of the deal, having a crush,  _ Nico thought to himself.  _ It’s a normal thing. I’m not immune. _

That didn’t mean he liked it, or would accept it.

Not that he actually liked Will like that in any case. No, siree. No romantic attachment here.

Right?

Nico hadn’t realized he’d been silent thinking for so long until his plate was clean. He looked over at Will, who seemed amused, his elbow on his knee, his cheek in his hand, watching Nico. “Somebody was hungry.”

Nico put the plate back on the bed stand. “Yeah, whatever.”

“You’re snippy today,” Will commented. “That’s gonna make this next part a whole lot more dangerous for me.”

Nico eyed him suspiciously as he stood and walked over to pick up a medicine bag off the floor. “What’re you doing?”

Will grinned as he pulled out the Mason jar of honey.

Or, actually, it wasn’t honey like Nico had originally thought. It was too bright, and around it, the sunlight seemed to warp. It glittered, too, like melted down gold.

“Pretty, isn’t it?” Will said, observing the jar in his hands. “It’s nectar.”

“It doesn’t look like nectar,” Nico said.

“It’s special,” Will said, smiling wide. “Have you ever encountered blessed nectar?”

_ Blessed nectar?  _ Nico had never heard of such a thing— well, not with the denominative “blessed.” As far as he knew, all nectar was blessed. It came straight from Olympus. He had no idea how it was made, but he knew it was from the gods.

“So,” Will continued, “you know how in Catholicism, there’s holy water or whatever? A priest blesses it, it’s a great multi-purpose tool, to be used for cleansing sinners, prayer, banishing demons, et cetera?”

Nico nodded. He had vague memories of Catholic services with his mother in Venice when he was young. The cathedrals there were huge, but all that mattered to Nico was his Mama and his sister.

“So when a  _ god  _ blesses nectar or ambrosia or whatever, it has a kind of opposite effect. It can work for a very specific, necessary purpose.” Will held up the jar and sat next to Nico again.  _ Closer.  _ “In the Odyssey, before Odysseus came home, Athena and Hera cleansed Penelope to make her look extra beautiful. They poured ambrosia on her to wipe away years of angst. They don’t say it in the text because in the years of oral tradition before Homer transposed it, it was lost, but the goddesses Hebe and Aphrodite blessed that batch of ambrosia.” He paused. “What?”

“What  _ what?”  _ Nico asked.

“You, like, really tensed there. Is something wrong?”

“No. Go on.”

Will didn’t look convinced. He held Nico’s eyes as he put a hand on Nico’s arm. “Nothing physical is wrong,” he muttered.

“I told you,” Nico said, yanking his arm away. “Don’t you trust me?”

Will looked taken aback. “Nico, this is unlike you.”

“You don’t  _ know  _ me,” Nico growled. The snarl in his voice curled in the air.

Will’s eyebrows shot up. He took a second, and then let out a little “ _ Ha”— _ an astonished laugh, like he couldn’t believe Nico’s audacity. Will looked at the floor. Then again:  _ “Ha.”  _ Then another moment. “Okay. Fine. I think I woke you up too early. See you at lunch.”

He got up, putting the jar of nectar on the bed next to Nico. He was silent on the way out.

* * *

Nico spent the next four hours trying to fall back asleep. He had the idea in his head that if only, if  _ only  _ he could find Aphrodite again, he could take back what he had said. If he could fall asleep, he could navigate his dreams; he was pretty good at that. And if he could navigate his dreams, he could find the goddess, apologize, and beg her to help him with Will— to harvest a good  _ friendship,  _ of course.

_ Beg. _ Begging was not a very Nico di Angelo thing to do. He was a relatively tough guy— good at combat, intimidating, rough on the inside and out. He didn’t like to beg. Usually, he didn’t have to; people tended to obey him without a second thought. Nico liked that, his influence being so strong. And yet… maybe he begged more often than he thought. A few years ago, his father took Percy as prisoner in hopes that Nico would become the inheritor of the prophecy. Nico, who neither wanted to be the prophecy kid nor for Percy to be imprisoned, pleaded with Hades to let Percy go. And then, after Nico had helped Percy escape, he begged his father to join the Olympians and fight in the Battle of New York. That time, Hades had obliged.

And then there was Tartarus…

Nico had put up a blockade between Tartarus and the rest of his memories. It was a place he never wanted to visit again, a piece of his experience he didn’t want to relive for anything. He hated thinking about it, dreaming about it,  _ anything…  _ If he could go the rest of his life without having to consider Tartarus again, he’d be perfectly happy. Maybe he could have the memory removed. He thought the Hypnos cabin might be good for that kind of thing.

Tartarus had been abhorrent. The atmosphere itself was enough to kill. But Nico had managed to struggle through almost the entire landscape, right down to the Doors of Death at the belly, all alone. He’d faced trial after trial, monster after monster, only to be captured just before reaching his goal. And the things they did to him…

_ No. Stop. Nothing there,  _ Nico’s mind ordered.  _ Nothing  _ would make him talk about that place. He wouldn’t think about it. Never.

It almost felt like another lifetime. Now, he just wanted to plead with a goddess of  _ love,  _ of all things, to get his friend to forgive him.

Weird. 

He tried to go to sleep. The sunshine was warm gushing in through the windows, and usually, it would coax Nico to fall asleep like a cat settling in on the top of a radiator. But now? Now his mind was racing too much, his heart felt like a bowling ball, and his pulse felt like more a vibration.  _ What was Will  _ doing  _ to him? _

Will came in a few hours after he left, and Nico immediately shot up in bed.

Will, who was carrying a tray, gave Nico a curious look as he closed the door with his foot. “You’re awake?”

Nico nodded. It felt like too much, like he was being too eager. This whole “friendly” thing was  _ hard _ . 

“Well,” Will said, breaking eye contact to look down at the tray, “I brought you lunch. Hope you like beef.”

Nico nodded again. Will’s look became curiouser.

“Did you sleep?” Will asked.

“No,” Nico admitted. “I just… I wanted to apologize.”

Will gave him a little smile and put the tray on the nightstand. “Nico, I don’t want you to like me at the sake of your health. I’m a healer. You’re here to sleep.”

“No, I know,” Nico said. He took in a deep breath, then let it out, staring at his lap. “I’m sorry I was snippy. I’d just… had a bad dream.”

“A bad dream? What about?”

Nico was going to make something up when he looked at Will. Will was biting his lip, obviously holding back laughter. “You’re laughing at me.”

“Am not,” Will said, laughing.

“You entirely are,” Nico said indignantly. “This is  _ hard  _ for me. Can’t you take it seriously?”

Will laughed again. “I’m not taking it seriously because it  _ wasn’t  _ serious, Death Boy. You’re moody. I expect that from you. If anything, I over-reacted.” He bit his lip, his eyes twinkling. “You’re cute when you’re frustrated.”

Nico shook his head. “I’m gonna kill you.”

“Aw,” Will said with mocking sympathy. “Do you want a hug? Is that it? You want a hug?”

“Blow off,” Nico said.

Will tutted. “Not nice, indeed. No, Nico, don’t worry. I wasn’t that offended.”

Nico looked at him. Today, he was wearing an orange hoodie. Nico assumed the weather must be a bit chillier out today. As for bottoms, though, he wore cargo shorts, and he wore purple and white trainers on his feet. He was a disaster, both from a fashion point of view and a practical one. 

Will must have noticed him looking because he reached over to ruffle his hair. “Eat your food.”

Nico complied. As he ate, Will explained the nectar.

“So,” Will said, holding the mason jar, “Apollo has blessed this jar of nectar.”

Nico waved his hand for him to continue.

“Uh,” Will said, “so it’s basically like liquid sunshine. Since you’re cramped up inside and you need  _ lots  _ of sunlight to heal along with lots of sleep, I figured this could help.”

Nico swallowed a bit of beef. “So is it like oil or…?”

“It’s like body lotion,” Will said. He opened the jar and put a finger in, scooping out a little on his finger. “You rub it into the skin, and you get all the benefits of natural sunlight.”

Suddenly, Nico remembered seeing that kind of liquid elsewhere— in Persephone’s cup at the dining table of Hades’ palace. The more you know, he supposed.

“Great,” Nico said. “Leave it on the nightstand.”

Will winced like he had bad news. “Well, therein lies the catch.”

“What catch?”

“You can’t put it on.”

Nico blinked. “What do you  _ mean,  _ I ‘can’t put it on?’” 

Will ran his fingers against the rim of the jar to get off the excess nectar. “Only people with Apollo’s blessing can administer it. Like, remember the Penelope example? Hera had to ask Hebe and Aphrodite first before she used the nectar on Penelope. Now, Hera had both their blessings to see what was a fit use. If Penelope had put on the nectar herself, though, it would have been like acid because she wasn’t blessed.” He paused. “Does that make sense?”

“Enough,” Nico said. He’d encountered weirder magical artifacts and conditions.

“So since you don’t have Apollo’s blessing, putting it on yourself is dangerous.”

“So what are we supposed to do about it?”

Will smiled. “Well, I’m a  _ child  _ of Apollo. This jar was gifted to my cabin to be used for healing. I’m a healer. I have the blessing.”

It dawned on Nico what he meant. “You mean… you’re going to put nectar on me?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Like greasing a wiesel.”

“Uh-huh.”

Nico frowned. “Is it really necessary?”

“Pretty necessary,” Will said. He sat next to Nico and waited for him to finish eating.

Nico set his plate aside. “Okay. Let’s get this over with.”

“Here, face me,” Will said. His voice had lowered to a murmur, which made Nico feel like this was even more intimate than he was dreading. 

Nevertheless, he turned so his body was parallel to Will’s, one leg hanging off the side of the bed and the other leg folded inwards. Will took a bit of the nectar out of the jar and rubbed it between his hands.

“Here,” he said, taking Nico by the arm. “Let me just…”

He trailed off as he started working the nectar into Nico’s skin. He was expecting it to be cool, but it wasn’t; it was warm and comforting, like sunshine on a chilly day. Will’s hands worked masterfully. His fingers were long and gentle, purposeful and steady. Good traits for a medic, Nico supposed. But he also had to wonder if Will would be good on a piano. He’d mentioned he didn’t have any musical skill, but anyone could be trained. Even moreso, he wondered how those fingers would feel in his hair, on his chest.

But this? This was plenty nice on its own. Will worked his way up Nico’s arm, massaging into the bicep slowly, pushing back the sleeve of Nico’s T-shirt. Nico suddenly became very aware of the jagged red scars on his arms from his fight with Lycaon, still sewed up with disinfected thread. Will scowled when he noticed, but didn’t say anything. When he was done, he started on the other arm. He was about halfway through when he cleared his throat.

“I don’t like it being so quiet,” he said. “My doctor back home told me it was a symptom of my ADHD. I don’t think it’s very helpful in a fight, though.”

Nico had never minded silence. ADHD affected different people differently, he guessed. “You have a doctor?” Nico asked.

“Of course I have a doctor,” Will mumbled. “It’s not like I always knew I wanted to be a medic.”

Now that he said it, it made a lot of sense. Nico had kind of assumed it was one of those innate things you know from a young age for Will, that he wanted to go into a medical field. Nico tried to imagine a very young Will with a little lab coat and a toy stethoscope, holding out his arms for his mother to pick him up:  _ Momma, I wanna be a doctor when I grow up! _

“What are you thinking about?” Will asked. His voice was absent, like he was distracted. Maybe by Nico’s too-pale, uncared for skin. “For after camp, I mean.”

“Oh.” Nico hadn’t thought about it at all, what he would do as a career. He didn’t have a whole lot of marketable skills, and he’d missed three years of school… maybe even more. He wasn’t very good at keeping track of time while on the run. No, Nico hardly thought he’d even be  _ alive  _ at this point, and before he’d seen New Rome, he thought it would be impossible to live as an adult. But considering he’d already lived through two Great Prophecies coming into fruition, there probably wouldn’t be another life-staking event in his lifetime, and he was remarkably good at handling monsters on his own, so a future was far from out of the question.

“You’re an amazing fighter,” Will said. “But that’s not exactly a career field.”

“I could join the army,” Nico said, knowing full well he was not going to join the army. 

“You’ve got enough shell-shock as it is.” Will’s voice was quiet, more of a thought barely wisping out the mouth than a comment. “And besides, good luck proving your citizenship.”

Nico groaned. “You’re right. I don’t know if I even  _ have  _ a Social Security number.”

“You probably do, but if you can’t remember it, you could always just work in New Rome.” He glanced up to meet Nico’s eyes. “I’m sure Reyna would be happy to have you.”

It felt like a prod, like he was asking a question, but Nico couldn’t figure out for the life of him what that question might be. “Yeah, I guess.”

Will hummed quietly before taking his hands off of Nico’s arms. “There. That should be good.”

Nico looked down at his skin. It was a light shade of pink instead of the usual milk white, as if he’d been sunburned. But he  _ didn’t  _ sunburn, so it must have been the effect of the godly nectar and not of Apollo’s blessing on it.

“Does it sting?” Will asked. His voice was still quiet, which felt  _ entirely  _ unnecessary, like he was trying to make Nico’s heart itch.

“A little bit,” Nico admitted.

“I can get you some aloe if need be.”

“Don’t bother. I’m fine.”

“Shut up. I’m getting you aloe.”

With that, Will stood and left the room. It felt incredibly empty in the interim of his absence. When he came back, he had a squeezable see-through bottle of aloe vera in his hands. The gel inside glinted green. 

He handed the bottle off to Nico. “Here,” he said. “Unless you want me to keep feeling you up.”

The word choice made Nico’s face feel hot. He gritted his teeth. “I’m fine.”

Will smirked.

Nico realized with a start that Will was teasing him purposefully. He wondered if Will found it funny.  _ Or better yet,  _ something in Nico’s head chimed in,  _ does he find it  _ cute?

“I’ll be in tonight,” Will said. “See you then, Death Boy.”

Nico tried to think of a good comeback. There was none.  _ Sunshine man? Doctor Guy?  _ “Whatever, Will.”

Will smiled as he headed out.

* * *

Nico was thankful for the aloe vera. It cooled down his arms enough for him to be able to sleep. In his dream, he was standing in Washington D.C., looking at the Lincoln Memorial. The state of Abraham Lincoln sat in his chair, silent and stern looking. It almost reminded Nico of his father, the expression on his face. Least, when his father was trying to be nice. Lincoln’s coat swung about him the same way that Hades’ robes did. Nico wondered if it was a family resemblance, if he had been a half-blood. Probably. Most world leaders were. Nico vaguely thought about other world leaders: Putin, Merkel, Macron… maybe they were demigods, too. Best not to speculate, he figured.

All of a sudden, someone took him by his left arm, making him jump. He looked to see Bianca, holding on to him insistently. “Nico, we need to go.”

He let her drag him along. She pulled him through a doorway and the two of them burst into light. 

Nico woke up. Will was sitting on the bed next to where he was laying. He was looking at something in his hands and didn’t notice Nico waking up, so Nico nudged him with an arm. “Hey.”

Will looked back at him. His eyes were incredibly tired, but he smiled. “Hey.” There was a pause, and then, as if on impulse, Will touched the tip of Nico’s nose. Nico crossed his eyes to look and the finger and Will laughed as he took his hand away. “Sorry,” he said between bouts of giggles. “It’s just… ah, nevermind.”

Nico had a strange desire to pull Will under the covers with him. He looked so sleepy, but he was still sitting up. A big, insufferable part of Nico wanted to wrap his hands around Will’s waist and drag him into an embrace. But he didn’t know how that would be taken, so he opted for sitting up instead. “What’s up?”

“Got your food,” Will said, gesturing to the nightstand, where there sat a platter, just as usual. “And your tunes.” He held up what was in his hand: a little white MP3 player. 

“Oh,” Nico said, suddenly remembering their conversation from the day before. “Right.”

Will shifted on the bed so he could face Nico with his whole body. He crossed his legs criss-cross applesauce on the blankets. “Tim McGraw. I got his entire second album. A gift from my mom.”

He plugged a set of earbuds in and put the left one into his left ear, holding out the right for Nico. Nico gulped and took it, leaning in.

“C’mon, don’t be shy,” Will said with a little smile. “The earbuds are going to fall out if you’re so far away.”

Nico gave him a glare but leaned in closer.

Will flipped through his selection and settled on a song called “Don’t Take the Girl.” He hit play. “I’m not a huge fan, but this one’s pretty good.”

The song played through the earbud in Nico’s right ear. It was very typical country, with guitar or something and a twangy voice, but it was bearable enough. About halfway through the first chorus, Nico looked at Will. Will was watching him closely, his eyes on his facial expression. When Will realized Nico was looking, he blinked a couple of times before looking down at the MP3 player. 

“I like it, anyway,” Will said. “I can turn it off if you want.”

“It’s not bad,” Nico admitted. “Keep it on.”

That made Will smile wide. He closed his eyes and swung his head gently in tempo to the music, mouthing the lyrics. His hands were pressed down into his lap, his shoulders back. He was basking in the song, and it was absolutely mesmerizing. The words faded to the back of Nico’s mind as he watched Will. The content was half as important as the effect it had on Will, Nico thought to himself. How much Will liked it, how he reacted to it— that was the real masterpiece.

After the third chorus, Will sank back into the moment. He looked at Nico with a little smile. “Kind of sad, isn’t it?”

Nico, who hadn’t been listening to the lyrics at all, opted to agree.

Will looked down into his lap. “You know, um, as a little kid, I fantasized about a girl who could do that kind of thing to me. Make me feel so much, make me so dedicated to her.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah, um…” Will cleared his throat. “It took awhile for me to figure out girls weren’t my only option.”

Nico’s heart skipped a beat. He really,  _ really  _ wanted to ask Will to elaborate, but he couldn’t find the words.  _ Not his only option?  _ What was that supposed to mean?

Will shifted uncomfortably. “Woah. That got pretty personal.” He reached over to take the earbud out of Nico’s ear. His fingers brushed against Nico’s cheek gently. His hands were warm. A weird part of Nico really wanted to hold Will’s wrist right there. But he withdrew quickly as he’d come. “I, um, have the campfire to go to. I didn’t go last night and my entire cabin made fun of me.”

“Oh.” Nico was a little disappointed he wouldn’t be staying for longer. 

“Yeah.” Will swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. “Anyway, you should take a shower.”

Nico huffed out of his nose. “Gee, thanks.”

“Everyone needs personal hygiene,” Will said. “You especially, Death Breath.”

Perhaps, instead of moping and sleeping, Nico should spend the intervals between when Will came into visit trying to think of good insults.

“Where are the showers?” Nico asked.

“Right next to the bathrooms,” Will said. Nico nodded, having figured out where the bathrooms were amid an emergency the previous night.

“All right.”

“Eat your food, too.”

“What are you, my mom? Get to your campfire or whatever.”

Will smiled. “See you tomorrow, hun.” Then he turned and walked out the door.

Hun _. That _ was a new one.

Nico took his time in the shower to think. Everything was happening so quickly. First, he’d just nearly avoided death in the second gigantomachy, which was kind of a big deal. Before then, he’d plunged into Tartarus by himself and… and…

Nico turned the water cold to snap himself out of it. Tartarus thoughts are bad thoughts, he decided. Not going back there. 

And then there was Will to think about. But just thinking about him, the way he felt with his fingers long and nimble and his touch soft and sweet and his lips… gods, what those lips must taste like…

Nico was glad the water was cold. It was enough to snap him out of it before he became  _ too  _ self-aware.

There were three pump dispensers in the shower, each labelled appropriately:  **SHAMPOO** and  **CONDITIONER** and  **BODY WASH.** Not a whole lot of variety. Nico pumped the shampoo. It smelled citrusy, like pomegranate and orange. He nearly gagged at the scent; he was more than done with pomegranates. He rubbed it into his scalp regardless and briefly debated whether his hair was long enough for the conditioner before deciding that was a question for a different day. The body wash smelled the same as the conditioner.

When he got out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around his torso (of course, Nico knew that guys were generally expected to cover their waist first and foremost, but he’d grown up around his sister and mother who both tied it around their chests. Besides, this towel was big enough that he didn’t have to worry about being exposed.). Then he got dressed in some more pajamas Will had gotten for him and went straight to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can y'all tell my love language is touch? I'm a sucker for physical contact lmao and this is super self-indulgent. I hope you guys liked the chapter! Just one more to go... and a half, maybe? I did write something for the day when Nico leaves the infirmary, but I'm not sure if I want to make it its own chapter or included it on the end of Chapter 3. As always, comment your thoughts. I love going through and reading comments, even if I'm awful at replying :( Anyway, I wish you all the best! XOXO & stay safe!


	3. Day 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3  
> Shenanigans and Yearning, Baby!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bro I'm JUST vibin  
> Anyway here's the final chapter! Kind of. Some of you keen-eyed readers may have noticed that the chapter count has gone up by one. This is because I've decided to include a mini half-chapter taking place the morning that Nico leaves the infirmary. It's a heck of a lot shorter than the other ones, but it's kind of a bonus, so it's chill.  
> Full disclosure: I don't speak Greek, so I did use Google Translate for just one little part. If anyone does, in fact, speak Greek, let me know if it's incorrect in the comments and I'll change it.  
> Anyway here's Wonderwall.

Nico had a dreamless night for the most part. Just near the end, visions appeared, though: Leopards patrolling an ancient festival, women carrying pinecones on poles ripping men to shreds, swaths of naked people kissing each other. 

So he kind of was expecting Mr. D to be in the room when he awoke.

Mr. D sat on a rocking chair he’d presumably brought in. He sipped on a Monster Energy Drink from the camp vending machines in his right hand. In his left hand was a fashion magazine. As usual, he was dressed in a dumb tropical shirt. Weirdly enough, it almost made Nico nostalgic for his quest and the  _ Isla del Encantorico _ shirt that he’d taken from San Juan. He’d basically thrown it out after the battle, but part of him wondered if the trash had been collected yet or if he could get it back to keep as a momento.

“Worthless,” Mr. D mumbled. 

“Excuse me?” Nico said.

Mr. D flipped the page of the magazine. “You know, some people say that this  _ celebrity gossip  _ thing has gone too far. I say it hasn’t gone far enough. Oh, you should have heard the talk in Greece back in the day. It was always something new and juicy on Mount Olympus.”

“Um—” Nico was going to ask why Mr. D was here, but the latter cut him off before he got the chance.

“And of the war,” Mr. D said. “I wasn’t too badly affected, luckily. But still, it’s nice to not feel perpetually in a hangover. I don’t  _ get  _ hangovers.” 

He looked up from the magazine and into Nico’s eyes. Nico shifted in his seat. The god’s eyes were unnerving, and the contact made Nico feel like his sanity was slipping away. 

“I suppose I have you to partially thank for that, ending the war and all,” Mr. D continued. “Well, cheerio. Good on you, saving Olympus twice.”

Nico could feel his face getting warm. From Dionysus, even mere mention was high praise, and he really didn’t take well to compliments. “I really didn’t do much either time.”

Mr. D licked his finger and turned the magazine page again. “Don’t underplay your importance, godling. Perky Johnson may get all of the praise, Perky Johnson may get all of the glory, but you… you work in the shadows.”

“I don’t want any glory,” Nico told him.

“Hm.” Mr. D took another sip of his energy drink. “I’ll never understand that. I like attention.”

_ Figures,  _ Nico thought.

“But, as disgusting as it is to admit it,” Dionysus said, sighing, “I do like you, Nico di Angelo.”

_ That  _ was a first. Dionysus always seemed to mess up Nico’s name. Part of Nico wondered if it was intentional. But being called the right name?  _ Weird. _

“Why?” Nico asked.

“‘Why?’” Dionysus repeated incredulously. “Because you’re more  _ interesting  _ than the rest of them, is why. You have an entire life of complicated spirals and divine intervention. It reminds me of my own unfortunate childhood. And… I suppose I’ve always had a, err,  _ soft spot  _ for those tortured by the prospect of their vices.”

“What do you mean?”

Mr. D put the magazine down on his lap. “You have urges that you’re afraid to deal with. Now, I see that fear waning. That is what I live for, Nicky DeAnglo. That is what fuels the flame of my divinity. People giving in to their impulses, living serenely how they would like to live, with hash-tag ‘no regrets.’ I love your recent developments.”

He said  _ developments  _ like an innuendo. 

“If only you were more of a party person,” Mr. D mused. “A club-hopper or a nightlife type. Back in the eighties, I had a boy like you. Eighteen, punk rock, daddy issues. He was such fun.”

_ “Excuse me?”  _

Mr. D waved his hand. “I’m a  _ god,  _ darling. I can take whatever form I would want. I like what I like.”

The thought of Mr. D transforming from a middle-aged has-been to a young frat boy and walking into a club wearing a mesh shirt in the eighties was enough to give Nico the shivers. 

“In any case,” Mr. D continued, “I’d like you to know that you have my blessing.”

He dug his hand into the breast pocket of his Hawaiian shirt and pulled out something that seemed too big to fit inside.

It was a small toy in the shape of a leopard rearing up onto its hind legs for an attack. Nico took a second to work out what it was, and the surprise came through in his voice when he confirmed it. “A  _ Mythomagic figurine?” _

“I understand you don’t play anymore,” Mr. D said, holding out the figuring the same way Hamlet holds out a skull. “But I thought you might like this.”

He tossed the figurine onto the bed. Nico leaned over to pick it up. Along the base were Greek words: Καλέστε το θηρίο. He traced his thumb along the etching.

“If you find yourself in trouble,” Mr. D said, “and a certain obnoxious son of Apollo won’t let you use your own ability, recite those words.”

Nico nodded. A token from a god… that was nice. It was seldom he received gifts from the gods. Percy had told him how he’d gotten his sword, a shield, deus ex machina pearls, and more from the gods. Nico really hadn’t gotten anything, not even his sword, which was a spoil of war from a fight he’d won against an  _ empousa _ when he was eleven. Now, when he probably wouldn’t need another weapon, he was finally gifted one. It seemed too contrived, almost like Dionysus was messing with him by giving him something nice.

“Thank you, my lord,” Nico said.

Dionysus nodded, then tilted his head, as if he was hearing something faint. “Ah, speaking of a certain son of Apollo…”

With that, he stood, and the chair and he both evaporated into purple mist.

Will burst in through the door, holding a food tray. “Hey, you’re up!”

Nico nodded. “What’s for breakfast today?”

“Yogurt parfait. You ever had it?”

“Only from McDonalds.”

Will smiled and set the tray next to Nico on the bed. Then he ruffled Nico’s hair. “You took a shower!”

“You told me to,” Nico said.

“When did me telling you to do something ever make you do it?” 

Nico picked up his spoon and put a little yogurt parfait into his mouth, deciding not to answer. He put the leopard figurine on the bed stand.

Will sat down and leaned over, putting his head in one hand. “The redness is gone. You look tanner.”

Nico looked down. Will was right; his arms  _ had  _ tanned. “Yeah, huh.”

“Only thing is,” Will went on, “now it’s all mismatched. Your face is way too pale.”

“Good thing I’m getting out… today?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow.”

Part of Nico was a little sad. He almost didn’t want to leave. He’d become strangely attached to this little room in the time he’d spent here. An entire three days was a while to spend  _ anywhere  _ for him. Of course, it wouldn’t help that he might not see Will Solace as often once he was gone. 

_ Play sick,  _ said a nasty little voice in his head.  _ He’ll let you stay for longer. Keep him waiting on you. _

_ Shut up,  _ Nico chided the voice.

The thought was a little tempting, but Nico was rational. Besides, it wasn’t like he  _ liked  _ being babied by Will. Perhaps he’d come to terms with it, but he didn’t want to stay like that… or anything.

“I’ve gotta get those stitches out,” Will commented, looking at Nico’s biceps. “I think the scars have healed enough.”

Nico nodded. Getting stitches out was probably his least favorite part of the process. At least it was Will doing the cutting and not some stranger. 

“You free at dinner for that?” Will asked.

“I can’t leave.”

“It was a joke, Nico.”

It wasn’t very funny. Nico finished his yogurt parfait and set his dish aside. “So tonight, then?”

“It’s a date!” Will smiled.

Something about the way he said it made Nico feel queasy. Maybe getting out the stitches was making him more nervous than he thought it was.

“How’s life on the outside?” Nico asked. 

“Hmm,” Will responded, sitting down on the bed, “it’s all right. Most people are out of the infirmary by now, so it’s just the normal injuries I’m dealing with now. Two to five people a day. Anything from broken arms to stubbed toes.” His eyes twinkled. “You’re my only regular.”

Nico scowled. “You kind of forced me to be here.”

“Yeah, well… I am happy to have you.” Will scratched at one of his ears. It was tinged pink. “You’re good company.”

Nico tried not to think too hard about that. He cleared his throat. “How is everyone adjusting? Jason and Piper and them, I mean.”

“They’re doing okay.” Will picked at his fingernails. “I think they’re relieved to get back to regular camp life. Though some people don’t exactly treat them regularly.”

Nico tilted his head. “What does that mean?”

“They’re kind of idolized. I mean, they’re the  _ heroes of Olympus,  _ y’know? Hard bar to clear.”

Nico thought about what might happen when he got out of the infirmary. He’d been preparing himself to face criticism, to stick around even if people crossed a path to get away from him or wrinkled their noses at the mention of his name. He couldn’t imagine being idolized. He knew he wouldn’t be, and he would be fine with that. Part of him wondered if his two qualities would even out, if the fact that he was gross and the fact that he had saved the Camp would cancel each other, and everyone would have a net neutral opinion of him. That would be the best possible scenario.

“Remember Ric?” Will’s voice broke Nico out of his thoughts. 

“Your sister, Ric?”

“That’s the one,” Will confirmed. “She’d like to talk to you some more. I think she looks up to you.”

Nico blinked. “She realizes I threw myself into Tartarus, right?”

Will shrugged. “I tried to tell her you’re a total idiot. She wants to confirm it for herself, I guess.”

“I don’t have anything to prove to your siblings,” Nico said defiantly.

Will huffed. “ _ Sure,  _ nothing. Because you’re so  _ self-assured  _ and  _ confident.”  _

“Don’t you have archery practice or something?”

“Was that my invitation to leave?”

“You’re quick.”

Will stood. “You’re  _ huffy _ , darlin’. Okay, sure, I’ll skedaddle.” As he walked past Nico, he put a hand on his cheek and tapped it twice, like a mother to a toddler. Nico would probably have killed Solace for that if he were anyone else. But, then… Why wasn’t he killing Will?

* * *

The dream started out as what Nico assumed normal people dream about: a pleasant day. Not a blur of some weird, trauma-causing memories like Nico’s normal dreams. No, in this one, he was laying down in an open field. He didn’t look, but he could feel a presence beside him to his left. The sky was scattered with cirrus clouds against a familiar bright blue, like the color of Will’s eyes. Nico could see tall grass in the corners of his vision. Beneath him, there was some kind of picnic cloth; he could feel its softness on his fingers.

“Well?” said a voice next to him. Nico recognized it— Will’s little drawl. “One of us has to move first.”

Nico didn’t know what that meant, but it made the otherwise comfortable situation feel hot and sticky, like the day had just turned twenty degrees hotter.

And then another presence, this time in front of him. He heard feet crunching against grass softly and felt warm and fuzzy inside all over again.

He sat up and met a woman’s blue eyes. But then they were green. But then they were brown. Nico resisted a groan as he realized he was face to face with Aphrodite again.

This time, she wore an elegant, breezy yellow dress with a large straw sunhat atop her perfectly quaffed hair. She wore sandals with straps up her bare ankles. If this were real life, she would have had red marks all over her calves from walking in the grass. Fortunately for her, though, this was a dream, and she was a goddess. In her white gloved hands she carried a picnic basket. She looked as beautiful as ever— and as annoying.

“Lovely to see you too,” she said.

“Hm,” Nico responded.

She sat down beside him on his right side, careful to avoid the grass with her dress. “Have you anything new to share?”

“No,” Nico said shortly. 

Aphrodite laughed. “But you  _ do,  _ don’t you? You like looking at him. You think he’s beautiful.”

“Who, Will?”

“Yes, Will.”

Nico blinked. He hadn’t realized it, but he  _ did  _ think Will was easy on the eyes. Especially yesterday, when he was overtaken by music. How he’d leaned his head back in bliss, his chest in his orange camp-issued T-shirt, looking soft under the cotton. 

_ No,  _ Nico thought.  _ Bad thoughts. You think like that, and Aphrodite wins.  _

“Not really,” Nico said.

Aphrodite’s eyes crinkled at the edges. “Oh, Nico. This is a dream. We share a mind. I know what you’re thinking.”

“I’m not thinking of  _ anything. _ ” He brushed some hair out of his face. “You’ve got the wrong idea.”

Aphrodite sighed dramatically— a stage sigh, like it was meant to be heard all the way in the nosebleed seats. “All right. If you’re going to be like that… Well, I’ll let you have another gift. Just as a reminder of our little talks.”

_ Another gift.  _ Usually, when a god said that to him in his dreams, that meant they were sending a monster. Nico got the impression Aphrodite was being genuine, though, which might be even worse.

He came out of his thoughts as Aphrodite reached over to touch his cheek softly, and he woke up.

Will’s hand was on his shoulder, gently jostling him. This must have been the quickest Nico had woken up, because he couldn’t remember actually being conscious while Will had done this before. The feeling on his hand was nice, and he almost brought his shoulder to his cheek to sandwich the hand in between. Almost. 

“Hey there, Sleepyhead,” Will said. His voice was low and delicate, like he was touching porcelain.

Nico frowned. “‘Sleepyhead.’ I swear, these nick-names are only getting worse.” 

Will withdrew his hand. “Your hair gets all messed up when you sleep.”

“It doesn’t help when you ruffle it,” Nico grumbled. “Food?”

“You’re such a gremlin. It’s on the nightstand.”

Will didn’t bother moving while Nico sat up and got the food. Today, it was caponata. He ate as he looked at Will.

Now that Aphrodite had mentioned it, he couldn’t help himself from thinking about how good Will looked. He was a handsome guy, with a slim but long nose and a defined Cupid’s bow. His eyebrows were a little unmanaged, but they fit well with the rest of his face, adding a masculine touch. He had a few pimples by his hairline, but the rest of his face was taken up by freckles, brown against his tanned skin. His hair looked soft, but it was curly, so Nico thought that his fingers might snag if he tried to run his hand through it. And of course, there were his eyes…

Nico snapped himself out of it and chided himself:  _ Dude, what are you thinking?  _ Run his fingers through Will’s hair? As if Will would let him. As if he even  _ wanted  _ Will to let him.

Will smiled a little bit. “What, di Angelo? Your mother never taught you it’s impolite to stare?”

Nico felt his face get hot. “I wasn’t staring! There’s just not much to look at in this room, so—”

“What, I’m not much to look at?” Will faked an offended expression.

Nico scowled. “You’re teasing me again.”

Will laughed and pushed his shoulder. “ _ No,  _ I’m being  _ entirely serious. _ Eat your food, idiot.”

Nico did not appreciate being called an idiot, but he did appreciate the food. He started eating before he realized he was still under the blanket. Will didn’t seem to mind, though, so he didn’t bother to move.

“You always look so comfortable,” Will mused as Nico ate. “When I first come in, I mean.”

Comfortable as in  _ you-look-in-comfort  _ or comfortable as in  _ you’d-be-nice-to-hold-in-my-arms _ ? Nico didn’t know which Will meant. The way Will had said it, Nico almost entertained the second notion. He tried to imagine it, what it would feel like to have Will’s body against his, warm and blissful.

Nico bit the side of his mouth.

The noise he made was embarrassing to say the least. More embarrassing was how quickly Will tended to him.

“Are you okay?” Will’s eyebrows were knit together, but he didn’t look anxious so much as concerned, which was weirdly comforting. 

Nico tried to say  _ Fine,  _ but his cheek hurt really badly. He pressed his hand against it and groaned. Will put his hand over Nico’s, gently pulling it away so he could press his fingers against Nico’s face directly. He mumbled something in Greek and the pain eased.

Nico opened his mouth, testing it out for pain. None. “What…? How…?”

Will sat back in his seat on the edge of the bed. “I’m a healer, Nico. It’s what I do.” His eyebrows unfurrowed slightly, but he didn’t look too easy-going yet.

“You’re staring,” Nico pointed out mockingly.

Will’s ears flushed red. “Not the same thing.”

Nico put a hand to his cheek. “It’s not, like, purple or anything?”  
Will cracked a smile. “Oh, yeah. Purple. And with green polka-dots.”

“Green and purple together? That’s a bit of a disaster, huh?”

“Like a crocus,” Will suggested, “or a violet.”

“You sound like my step-mom.”

Will smiled. The two sat in comfortable silence for a minute or two while Nico finished eating.

“So,” Will said, pulling something out of his pants pocket, “Chiron asked me to give this to you.”

He handed Nico a neatly folded piece of paper. Nico unravelled it to find a schedule by day of camp activities. Cabin 13 was on the list, and it had been highlighted in yellow.

Will pointed. “It’s the activities list. Chiron went ahead and put you on.”

Nico almost felt proud, in a weird way. He glanced over the sheet. Okay, so he’d have to have horseback lessons, do inspection next Thursday, pick strawberries… Nico did notice an odd pattern though.

“Oh,” Will said, “and I talked him into letting Cabin 13 and 7 pair up for most activities. Just so I can show you the ropes.”

_ More time with Will! _ part of Nico said excitedly.  _ More time with Will _ , another part of Nico said dreadingly. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Will— he definitely did. It was just… being around him was good, but in a really weird way. Like a mud bath: invasive and gross and relaxing and nice. But perhaps another week or so being around each other pretty normally would make it harder to let Will go.

Will must have noticed he was quiet for a while. “You’re being snippy, aren’t you?”

“Am not,” Nico protested snippily. 

“I can change it back if it bothers you  _ that  _ much.” Will leaned back, frowning. “But you’re stuck with me for the next four or five years until we’re eighteen, so you might as well learn how to play nice.”

“I  _ do  _ play nice.”

“Then why are you being snippy?”

“You’re  _ insufferable,  _ Solace.”

“You’re  _ impossible,  _ di Angelo. Here, give me your arms.” Will held out his hands expectantly.

“Why?” Nico asked.

Will reached over and grabbed the Mason jar of ambrosia off of the night stand. “Ta-da! You’re due for round two.”

Nico scrunched his nose. “Of the stuff that makes my skin all red and hot?”

“I think you mean  _ rad and hot, _ ” Will said. Then he winced. “Sorry. Bad joke.”

Nico had to mentally chide himself not to laugh or be endeared.

Will tapped on the jar with his fingers. “Anyway, we  _ could  _ put the stuff that irritates your skin on your face to even things out. Or your legs. Up to you.”

No matter how Nico pictured it, the legs option sounded uncomfortable. “Arms,” he decided. “I’m not all too caught up on cosmetics, if you didn’t notice.”

“Oh, I noticed, all right,” Will grumbled, unscrewing the lid of the jar. “I noticed how clear your skin is without any kind of a routine. Not that I’m bitter or anything.”

Nico smiled and handed Will his arm. The procedure occurred the same as it had the day before, with Will’s hands massaging into Nico’s muscles in a way that was a bit too close.

Nico cleared his throat. “So…”

“So.” Will worked the nectar into Nico’s skin, not looking up from his work.

“What’re you getting up to?” Nico asked. “I mean, you’re not still dealing with sick campers, right?”

“Like I said earlier, it’s dulled down to the usuals,” Will said. Then he looked Nico in the eye. “The exception being you.”

Nico could feel his face heat up, even though Will hadn’t said anything too outrageous. Something about the way he put it, the way the words rolled off his tongue.

“Sorry,” Nico mumbled.

“‘Sorry?’” Will repeated. “Sorry for what? Saving the freaking world?”

“I hardly—”

“I’m not an idiot, Nico. You can’t downplay what you did when you’re talking to me.” He pursed his soft-looking lips. “I just wish you didn’t have to almost kill yourself doing it.”

“Sorry.”

Will reached up and lightly smacked Nico’s cheek. “You’re so dumb. You don’t need to apologize.”

Nico resisted the urge to touch his face where Will had smacked him. 

Will took a deep breath in, and then out. “One of my abilities as a son of Apollo, as a healer… I’m hyper-empathetic. If someone is in pain, I can tell, and all of my instincts scream at me until the crisis is put back to normal. Once, my dog back in Texas got into a fight with another dog. I attempted surgery. I was nine at the time. Cried the whole time.”

“You attempted surgery… on a  _ dog _ … when you were  _ nine.”  _ The idea gave Nico a headache. “You call  _ me _ crazy.”

Will smiled a little, then started massaging the other arm. “It’s a story for another day, I guess. But anyway, being around you… it’s wild, Nico. You’re unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Helping you gives me the emotional catharsis of, like, cocaine.”

Nico took it as an insult. He could not emphasize enough that he didn’t  _ want  _ to be special. He’d outgrown that phase when people started rejecting him for being different. And now, to be told by Will Solace, with whom he thought he shared a genuine connection, that he was just some self-fulfilling pity project…

Woah. _ Genuine connection? _ Where was Nico’s head  _ going?  _

Will stopped massaging. “You’ve tensed. Did I say something?”

“Nothing,” Nico said. He meant for his tone to be more casual than it was.

Will blinked, then seemed to realize what Nico had heard. “Nico, I’m not using you to satisfy myself. I actually… well, I  _ care  _ about you. You’re a pretty good guy. That’s hard to find sometimes.”

Nico’s mouth felt dry. “Right.”

“You’re thinking too hard about this.”

“Am I?”

“Do you want time to cool off?”

“No.”

Will put the jar of nectar aside. “Talk to me, Nico.”

Nico did not want to talk to him. He was never one to pour out his feelings to someone else like that. Even with Bianca, he’d been hesitant when it came to the real, tough things. Now, Will, who was practically a stranger, was asking him to spill. Albeit, Will didn’t feel like a stranger. He felt close, close,  _ closer, please…  _

He shut his eyes hard, and when he reopened them, his mind was a bit clearer. But he knew one thing with absolute certainty: he wasn’t about to have a therapist talk with a teenager with whom he’d had his first real conversation less than a week ago.

So the two sat in heavy silence for a good two minutes. 

Will was the first to cave. He sighed deeply, as if with his whole body. “I’m too tired for this.” He cleared his throat. “I know you’re not big on physical contact, but do you think you could do me a favor?”

Nico was hesitant to answer. “What?”

Will held out his arms for a hug.

The weird part? Nico didn’t even hesitate to oblige him. The second Will gestured that he wanted to be held, Nico took him into his arms.

Will buried his face in the crook of Nico’s neck. Nico noted that that spot was crazy sensitive. Will’s nose being there made Nico’s stomach do Olympic-style backflips.

Will’s body was full and soft to the touch. He was a lean guy, but he had enough curvature to make him comfortable— absolutely perfect for this kind of thing. His arms were strong, and he wrapped them around Nico’s waist, his hands resting at the end of Nico’s spine. So close, Nico could smell him: orange and strawberry, mint mouthwash and traces of disinfectant. It didn’t seem like it would all work together the way it did. Will smelled positively intoxicating, and it only took Nico a second to be hooked on the scent. 

It felt so good, so comforting, that Nico didn’t realize how much time had passed. It had been way longer than a usual hug— maybe 30 seconds— before the panic set in.

Will felt Nico squirming and loosened his grip. “Sorry. Should have pulled away sooner.”

Nico sat back on the bed. “I… uh, it’s… um… I…”

He cursed himself for being so dumb he couldn’t weave a comprehensible thought together. Will probably thought he was an idiot now— or,  _ more _ of an idiot. Unless Will thought he was a creep or something for being so caught up in such a simple embrace.

Instead, Will just looked at the ground like he was embarrassed about something. “Sorry, anyway. I’m going to head off to afternoon activities. Get some sleep, di Angelo.”

He got up and was walking out when Nico called after him: “Wait.”

Will stopped and turned around, looking like he was ready for a beating.

“What are you sorry for?” Nico asked. And then he hated himself for saying it.

“What am I…” Will trailed off. “I’m sorry for asking you to touch me. I knew you weren’t ready for it yet and it made things awkward.”

Nico’s tongue felt wet and heavy. He shrugged, trying his best to look nonchalant. “I was cool with it.”

Will blinked, then tilted his head. “Really?”

“Yeah, sure,” Nico said. “It was nice or whatever.”

It sounded super corny, but Will smiled maybe the brightest smile Nico had ever seen in his life.

“Get on with your afternoon activities,” Nico insisted. “Get out.”

“I’m not letting you live this down, Death Breath.”

“Shut up, Sunshine.”

Will raised an eyebrow. “Is ‘Sunshine’ supposed to be an insult?”

“I’m working on it.”

* * *

The next round of sleep was dreamless, which Nico appreciated. No gods or goddesses or weird memories this time around.

He woke up to something on his thigh. Something warm and soft, over the blankets, on the outer part of his leg. He blinked his eyes into awakeness and met the gaze of two small bead eyes. There was a small stuffed bear perched on his body. The bear was brown, and it sported a lovely pink bow around its neck.

“Excuse me?” he asked the bear.

The bear, held by a hand, made a hop further up, landing on his hip bone. After a few seconds, it made a couple of more jumps and landed on his shoulder.

“What’s this?” Nico asked Will, unamused.

Will grinned, very amused. “Nico, meet Callisto. I got her from the camp store.”

Nico put his hand around the bear and sat up. “Why?”

“You’re always snuggling with your blankets,” Will said. “I thought it would make for a nice parting gift.”

“Aren’t I leaving tomorrow morning?”

Will waved his hand dismissively. “That’s not the point.”

Nico looked at the bear. “Callisto, huh?”

“Yup.” Will sat down on the edge of the bed, a foot or so away from Nico, who was nestled in the center. “And she just  _ wuvs you! _ ”

Nico put a hand on Will’s face and pushed him away. Will laughed, then calmed down enough for a short, comfortable silence.

“A lot of people like to have something to hold on to during painful procedures,” Will explained. “I actually have a collection of infirmary toys, but I figured you deserve something special.”

_ Ba-bump. Ba-bump.  _ It felt like Nico’s heart might break itself out of his chest, his ribcage the prison bars to be beaten against. It was just such a sweet gesture, and entirely unprompted… Nico’s first thought was,  _ Wow, he actually likes me.  _ His second thought, though, was,  _ Wow. He really wants something out of me, huh?  _

The former was more flattering but the latter was more realistic. Nico didn’t know what to think. 

Will cleared his throat and got some medical supplies off of the side table. “Here, I just need you to be really still. I’m going to disinfect the stitches first, then I’m gonna start cutting the threads, one at a time. Sounds good?”

Nico nodded his head. Will took a cotton pad and poured out some liquid onto it, then pressed it against Nico’s right bicep where the scarring was. He disinfected a pair of surgical scissors and got to work.

Nico was surprisingly thankful for Callisto. He was never one to gripe about pain too much, but getting these stitches removed without any anesthetic? It hurt. His hands wrapped around the bear’s body so tightly he was almost worried he would damage her. 

“I’m willing to bet that you guys put some nectar on these cuts after you stitched them up,” Will mumbled. “Rookie mistake. Usually, removing stitches is a painless process. Skin’s grown over it a little bit. Sorry if it hurts.”

Nico grumbled something vaguely like “It’s fine” through gritted teeth.

Finally, the right arm was done. Nico looked down at his arm. Now, it was sporting little pink spots around the scars, which themselves were getting less red and more pink.

Instead of telling Nico to move like he’d anticipated, Will crawled over him to get to the other arm. He repeated the process there.

When he was done, he bit his lip, looking at Nico. “Does it hurt too bad?”

“I’m all right,” Nico said. 

“Do you want any ambrosia?”

“For Hades’ sake, Will, I said I was fine.”

Will glared at him. “You have a habit of under-expressing yourself.” He gestured to the meal on the nightstand. “Dinner time.”

Nico grabbed the food and began eating. He watched Will contemplatively. Will’s eyelids drooped, like he was fighting off sleep. There were bags under his eyes— not insignificant, but not so bad that you would notice unless you were looking. Nico wondered if he was always like this or if it was because of the recent war. Maybe he hadn’t been getting enough rest while tending to injuries. Even if he said the surge had quieted, maybe the mild was still pretty exhausting. Then Nico felt guilty. What was he doing, lying in bed all day while Will was on his feet, still dealing with the fallout of a war he never wanted to participate in? Worse yet, was  _ he  _ part of the reason Will was so sleep-deprived?

Will caught him staring and smiled apologetically. “Sorry. I always get tired at the end of the day.”

Nico hummed. He fidgeted with his fork. He was almost done with his food. After that…

“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked. He was quick to add: “I mean, for purely selfish reasons. If our medic is exhausted, that’s no good for anyone.”

“It’s nice of you to ask.” Will leaned over, resting his head in his hand, his elbow propping him up from the bed. “But not really. I just need to go to bed. I’ll be golden to go tomorrow morning.”

“‘Golden?’”

“Hmm. Something my mom likes to say.”

Will closed his eyes briefly. Then he started falling forward. He snapped himself out of it before he hit the mattress.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

“You’re fine.” Nico put his empty plate aside. “Look, I don’t imagine you can go back to your cabin and miss out on the campfire, could you?”

Will groaned. “They gave me enough grief when I stayed  _ here.  _ Imagine how they’d react if I didn’t have an arguable reason.”

Nico swallowed. He tried to talk himself out of suggesting what he was about to suggest, but he couldn’t help himself. “Why don’t you just take a quick nap here? Like, twenty minutes or so. I’ll wake you up.”

Will blinked, then smiled wide. “Really? You’d do that?”

_ DANGER! Stop! No!  _ “Sure.”

Will smiled wider, than seemed to think better of it and pursed his lips. “No, I can’t. I gotta go.”

“Oh.” Part of Nico was relieved. Another part, disappointed.

Will looked like he was having a battle in his head. “But… twenty minutes, you said? Just twenty minutes?”

Nico nodded. “Or whatever. It’s not like I care. You can go whenever.”

“Twenty minutes…” Will mused. Then he settled down, with his face on the pillow. “I guess that’s not such a problem.”

Nico swallowed. “Uh, yeah. I’ll just… go shower or something.”

He was about to get up when Will caught his wrist. “I don’t know if you noticed,” Will said, his voice soft, “but I’m kind of a touchy person.”

Nico’s stomach felt like it was floating in the Dead Sea. “I noticed.”

“I’d like you to stay.” Will’s voice was quiet and reserved. It was unlike Will. He cleared his throat, and when he spoke again, he sounded more normal. “I mean, if you’re in the shower for too long, how will you know when to wake me up? You can’t keep track of how long I’m sleeping if you’re not in here, huh? From a… a scientific point of view.”

“Right,” Nico said, his nerves on edge. “Purely scientific.”

“Right,” Will agreed.

There was a long, awkward silence.

“Could you lay down?” Will said abruptly. “I feel like there’s a power imbalance or something.”

Nico was stunned, but Will was really hard to argue with. He laid down on the bed and put the little Callisto plushie between their bodies. 

“Hi,” Will said quietly.

“Don’t make it weird,” Nico threatened.

“How do I make it weird?”

“You say stuff like ‘Hi.’”

“It’s a very common greeting, Nico.”

“We’ve been in this room together for a pretty long time now.”

Will’s eyes sparkled. “Touché.”

After they stopped talking, Will fell asleep quickly. Nico tried to start a mental timer: 20 minutes. But he got lost looking at Will’s face.

Nico hadn’t realized how stressed Will looked until he was sleeping. He had such a calm energy that it was hard to think of him as anxious, but awake-Will looked positively on edge compared to sleeping-Will. The smile lines etched into the corners of his eyes disappeared. The crease in his brow— which Nico hadn’t even noticed— faded out. He was a sight to behold, really.

For once, Nico didn’t even try to break himself out of it. No sirens went off in his head. Will’s presence here was so relaxing, so comforting… Nico closed his eyes for just a second. Then he opened them. He  _ couldn’t  _ fall asleep. If he fell asleep, who would wake him up? Will? Will was sleeping himself. Will was…

Will was intoxicating. Here, lying so close, Nico could smell the orange and the medical supplies and the mint all over again. It was so lulling, so nice.

_ A few seconds couldn’t hurt,  _ a voice told him.  _ You’ll be fine. _

Nico tried to fight it off, but the feeling overcame him, and soon, the world was pitch-black.

* * *

“Oh, my gods, this is  _ too  _ good.”

Nico woke up to a kid’s voice— a girl, it sounded like. First, he registered his surroundings: he was still in his room in the infirmary, the stuffed bear Callisto was still between him and Will, and Will…

Will had apparently just woken up, too. He looked around for a second to orient himself, then fixated his eyes somewhere behind Nico. “Kayla!”

Nico turned to see a girl, somewhere around his age, her arms akimbo and her face, a huge, mischievous grin. Nico could tell right away that she was Will’s sister; they had the same gorgeous blue eyes, though Kayla’s were wider and more down-turned. Her hair was choppy and short, a ginger color, dyed green at the tips. Freckles dotted her face the same way they dotted Will’s, but she had even more than he did— wilder, spreading from her cheeks and nose to her forehead, her chin, and her shoulders, exposed by her cut-off sleeves. A quiver of arrows was secured at her back. The expression on her face was like she’d just found a gold mine.

“Hey, Will,” she said, her voice teasing. “You think this violates Item #9?”

Will’s ears were bright pink. He propped himself up. “Don’t even  _ think  _ about telling anyone about this.”

“Why? Do you have something to be embarrassed about?”

“I’m serious, Kayla. Can it, unless you want bathroom duty for the next month.”

Kayla’s smile widened, and she turned to Nico. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Kayla Knowles, daughter of Apollo.” She held out her hand.

Nico shook it. “Nico di Angelo, son of Hades.”

“Oh, I know,” Kayla said, taking her hand back. She crossed her arms and leaned back against the door. “You’ve been keeping Will pretty busy, haven’t you?”

Nico felt his face grow warm. “It’s not like I’m  _ asking _ him to do all of this stuff. He could literally have let me sleep for three days and I would have been happy.”

Will touched Nico’s shoulder and nudged around him to get out of the bed. “That wasn’t what she was saying, di Angelo.”

Nico was confused. Had some kind of message flown over his head? Did the Apollo kids have some secret way of communicating he didn’t know about?

“You know, this would make  _ really  _ good blackmail material,” Kayla said. “Will, buy me a cookie or I’ll tell the whole cabin you were cuddling with one of your patients.”

“We weren’t cuddling,” Will grumbled. “We were sleeping.” He paused, like he’d just realized something. “We weren’t supposed to…” He whipped around to face Nico. “You were supposed to wake me up!”

“Ugh-hugh!” Nico complained intelligently. “I couldn’t help it! What was I supposed to do? Stare at you for twenty minutes?”

Will rubbed his temple. “Remind me to never put time management into the hands of someone who can’t create a consistent eating or sleeping schedule without help. Kayla, what time is it?”

“Ten,” Kayla said. “We were worried when you didn’t show up to the campfire. You’re lucky I’m smart so I knew you’d be here and checked it out first.”

Will looked at Nico. “Remember how I said Austin was my favorite sibling?”

Nico stifled a laugh. That seemed to make Will feel better.

It did  _ not  _ seem to make Kayla feel better. “Hey!” she protested. 

Will bit down a smile, his eyebrows raised.

Kayla scowled. “You know what? Maybe I  _ won’t  _ use this as blackmail. Maybe I’ll just tell the cabin where you were exactly when we get back.”

“You wouldn’t  _ dare.” _

“Try me, loser.” Kayla turned to Nico. “It was really nice to meet you! I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other more often, given that you’re my  _ brother’s boyfriend!” _

She turned and walked out the door before Nico got a chance to respond. Will followed suit, and Nico heard him huffily telling Kayla, “He’s  _ not  _ my boyfriend!”

_ Will’s boyfriend.  _

Nico tried to take it all in. Kayla obviously mistook the situation, but… Will had accepted an offer to sleep in Nico’s bed. Heck, he’d even practically ordered Nico to join him. It made Nico feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Kayla had said it teasingly to mock her brother, but being Will’s boyfriend really didn’t sound so bad.

Oh.

Uh, oh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha so! That was a fun ride! The three days are over! Now it's back to the regularly-scheduled Pining.  
> The Dionysus thing? Idk man. I just really like the idea of them getting along.  
> Oh, and the touchy-feely stuff? That's all on me. I'm a touchy-feely person. Very clingy.  
> Some things are brought up that aren't really addressed in this fic. For instance, why tf did I include the counselor terms of service? But! This is the first in a (hopefully) long list of chronologically-ordered fics. I know there's some I want to write, but I'm not sure about how to bridge some gaps. Anything you'd like to see in the future? Leave it in the comments! Drop a kudos if you liked this and check out my profile! I have another Solangelo fic and a couple others for other fandoms. Anyway, good night, y'all! Stay hydrated!


	4. Day 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 4. Nico leaves the infirmary. Jason and Percy are Spiderman fans, I guess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowza, final chapter!  
> This one, you really don't, like, need to read, but I thought it was fun :)  
> I don't really have much to say here lol. Enjoy the chapter, darlings!

Sleep was short that night.

Half of the reason was because Will woke him up extra early. The other half of the reason was that he stayed up for a couple of hours thinking about Will. 

_ Will.  _ Gods, it was the first time in… well,  _ ever  _ that Nico had a crush he didn’t resent himself for. Reyna, and Hedge, and Jason— they’d all been so supportive. They didn’t look at him with disgust like he’d expected people would when they found out he was… the way he was. Percy had been shocked, but Annabeth had seemed pretty amused. Overall, a net positive reaction. Maybe that was why he didn’t feel the pressing guilt that he’d felt when he’d wanted Percy. Or maybe it had to do with the fact that he might have a chance this time around.

Percy had been undeniably straight. If he liked guys, he’d never done anything to show it. From the time Nico first met him, he’d been obsessed with Annabeth. Nico remembered asking if Annabeth was his girlfriend— partially out of curiosity, but it was mostly a rhetorical question; of course Percy liked Annabeth. It was so obvious Nico was surprised Annabeth had felt threatened by Rachel when the four of them had been in the Labyrinth. To him, it was abhorrently clear that Percy would never like him back, that whatever Nico felt in his chest when Percy looked at him was entirely unrequited. With Will… well, Nico wasn’t so sure.

Maybe Will had an Annabeth of her own and Nico just didn’t know about her yet. Or  _ him,  _ for that matter. But it felt like he’d been doing little things on purpose, like he was teasing. Testing the waters. Probing for a reaction. First, there was the verbal berating. Then the physical stuff— the little touches on the face, then a prolonged hug, then falling asleep in his bed. And then there was the gift. Will had played Callisto off as a joke, but he’d still left her in Nico’s care, and he had  _ bought  _ her. He actually  _ spent real money.  _ Was it really a joke? For all of this teases and kids, did Will plan on delivering? Was he  _ trying  _ to get Nico feeling this way? Or was this just a normal male friendship and it had just been too long since Nico had had one of those?

It kept Nico up until midnight, at least. When he had finally fallen asleep, he dreamt of one thing: Aphrodite, sitting at a fancy restaurant table in a void of nothing, sipping on a wine glass, telling Nico, “I told you so.”

Nico didn’t know if it was an actual message or just a weird dream, but he was willing to bet on what it meant. 

He woke up to Will wislisting a happy tune. He groggily sat up in bed as Will tore open the curtains to reveal a sun just barely over the horizon. “Up and at ‘em, Bedhead! It’s check-out day!”

Nico groaned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. “What time is it?”

“6:30,” Will said. “Breakfast is at 7, so you might want to hurry up. You’ve gotta take a shower.”

“Why do I have to take a shower?” Nico asked.

Will gave him a little grin. “You’ve been lying in bed for days. You smell  _ awful.”  _

“I took a shower, like, two days ago.”

“You really should be showering every day.”

Nico groaned again. He liked showering well enough, but the idea of  _ every day  _ seemed exhausting, especially this early in the morning.

“Don’t be like that,” Will chastised. He pulled up a bag— an orange draw-string with a pegasus design. “Here, I got you some more toiletries. I wasn’t sure if you were more of a  _ rosemary-and-mint  _ or a  _ lemon-and-sage  _ type of guy, so I got you both.”

Nico bit his lip, trying not to blush. “You put too much effort into this. You didn’t have to do all that.”

“I know I didn’t  _ have  _ to,” Will said. “That’s what makes it nice.” He handed Nico the bag. “Have fun! I’ll check in on you if you’re gone for more than twenty minutes.”

Nico grumbled to himself, but took the bag and made his way to the showers anyway.

It wasn’t like Will was giving him  _ special treatment  _ or anything. Will had said himself when Nico first got the secluded room that it was merely the best plan. He’d do this for anyone. Nico was sure he treated all of his patients like this.

Still, if it didn’t make his insides feel like Italian ice, he wasn’t a son of Hades. 

He ended up using the rosemary-and-mint shampoo.

He got dressed and went back to the recovery bedroom. There, he found, that Will had folded all of his items neatly and placed Callisto the bear and the leopard figurine on top of the bundle of clothes.

“Kind of miffed you didn’t change your clothes more,” Will commented. “I got you some truly masterful outfits.”

Nico winced. “Why do I feel like somewhere in that pile, there’s reversible sequins that say ‘I’m a Star’ or something?”

Will smiled wide. Nico had a feeling he’d been spot-on. “By the way, there’s a pair of pants to match the swanky suit jacket you got earlier. See that one goddess again?”

Pants? Oh, right.  _ Pants.  _ To her credit, Aphrodite  _ had  _ said she was sending another gift. That didn’t make Nico feel less exasperated. 

“Thanks,” Nico grumbled, and he started shoving the clothes into the bag. He was very careful with the leopard figurine.

Will frowned. “You forgot Callisto.”

“I forgot  _ nothing.  _ Return her to the store and get your money back.”

“Aww!” Will scooped the bear up into his arms and cuddled her protectively. “Poor Callisto! You’ll hurt her feelings!”

Nico rolled his eyes, but held out his hand. Will gave the stuffed animal over happily.

“You’re all good here, then?” Will asked, glancing around the room. It didn’t look all that less cluttered than before. Nico hadn’t exactly brought a lot with him.

“I think we’re done,” Nico said.

Will tapped on his chin. “Oh, this room is finished, but we’re not done just yet.”

He led Nico out of what had been Nico’s home for the last three days and back into the examination room where Will had taken Nico’s vitals. Even though it had only been a few days, it felt like eons; Nico half-expected the room to be full of cobwebs and dust.

Will ordered Nico through the motions, taking his weight (which had gone up, if but only by a few pounds), measuring his blood pressure (this time without talking for too long), and feeling a stethoscope around his chest (which was really too close for comfort. Will noted the high heart rate aloud, and Nico felt himself turn red.).

Finally, Will clicked the end of his pen. “I think we’re all good to go, Nico. How do you feel?”

Nico shrugged and stood up. “I don’t know. What do you want me to say?”

“That you feel like a million bucks.”

“I feel like a million bucks.”

“Good.” Will winked at Nico. “You  _ look _ like a million bucks, too.”

Nico’s face felt ridiculously hot. Did Will  _ mean  _ to do that? Is this flirting or normal friendly banter? He tapped his fingers on his hip bone.

Will nodded over his shoulder as if to say  _ Let’s go.  _ Nico followed him and fell in line beside him when they reached the outdoors. Will smiled and bumped him with his shoulder. “What, you wanna hold hands or something?”

Nico glared at him. “Just didn’t want to walk behind you.”

The sunshine was weird now. It had been too long since Nico had been outside, and he’d forgotten how nice it was; the nymphs played tag by the treeline, birds twittered from the rooftops of cabins, and the grass swayed gently in the breeze. The sun on Nico’s face felt like heaven.

“You missed it?” Will asked.

“Miss what?”

“Being outside.”

Nico took a deep breath of the fresh air. “Yeah, I did.”

Will made a clicking sound with his tongue to show he understood.

The rest of the walk was in silence. That was fine to Nico. He kept accidentally bumping into Will in little ways— a graze on the arm, the bump of a hip. Will stood unreasonably close to him. He didn’t mind too much.

Will looked phenomenal in the sunlight. Nico had almost forgotten how pretty he was. The beams cut lines into his face, fell against the ground in a shadow, curved around his nose and his brow and the arch of his lips. His skin looked so nice, Nico had to restrain himself from reaching out and touching it.

There was laughter and talking coming from the dining hall. Nico heard it before the say it: the chatter of dozens of tween-teenagers bustling about. There were a lot of kids during th the summer these days; even with all of the casualties, there couldn’t be less than 150 seated in the dining hall, having fun messing around with their siblings. 

Will stopped just before they got inside and faced Nico. “Weekly check-ups, you hear me?”

Nico nodded.

“And if you have any problems— and I mean  _ any—  _ do not hesitate to swing by.”

“Got it.”

“But also swing by if you  _ don’t  _ have any issues. I’m always looking for help in the infirmary.”

“All right.”

“But, Nico, just remember—”

“ _ Di immortales,  _ Solace, I get it. Shut up. Let me go eat.”

Will exhaled, then put a hand on Nico’s shoulder. “Stay. Safe.”

Nico glared. He hated being treated like he couldn’t take care of himself. Despite Will’s looks and his aura and his interesting life Nico wanted to know more about, he could be really annoying.

Will smiled and gave him a  _ pat-pat  _ on the cheek like a mother sending her kindergartener off to school for the first time. The two headed into the dining hall and went their separate ways. 

Nico was walking towards the Hades table when he heard his name: “Nico!”

He turned and found Jason Grace standing up and waving his hand on the other end of the pavilion. Next to him sat Percy Jackson, who looked less enthused but no less welcoming.

Nico squinted at Jason. Jason sat back down, but was grinning like he’d already won something. Nico went over to sit with them.

He sat across the table from Jason and kitty-corner from Jackson. “Hey.”

“Hey, dude!” Jason greeted. “ I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever. What’s up? How was the infirmary?”

“It was fine,” Nico said. “I slept through most of it.”

Percy poked at his food. “You once mentioned to me you have trouble sleeping at camp. How’d that work out for you?”

Nico was a little stunned Percy remembered that. “Uh, it was okay. Godly visitations or weird collections of memories. You know how it goes.” He cleared his throat. “So, we’re sitting together now? How'd you guys talk Chiron into that?”

“He figured he kinda owed us something,” Jason admitted. “We asked, and he was all ‘As long as you behave.’”

Percy grinned mischievously. “Unfortunately, I’m not very good at behaving. Yesterday, I almost started a food fight.”

Nico smiled. “Oh, really? What over?”

“He thinks the James Raimi trilogy is better than the MCU,” Jason said.

Nico pretended to understand what that meant.

Percy held out his arms like  _ Sue me.  _ “I think that because it’s true. Like, objectively.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “Anyway, we’ve been having fun out here. But what about your stay in the infirmary? Tell me more.”

Nico briefly debated telling Jason about his newfound crush on Will Solace. But then he thought better of it. For one, that was personal. For two, Jason might start to see him as the type of guy who got crushes at the drop of a hat— which he  _ wasn’t.  _ He’d only ever liked Percy before now. 

“Not a lot happened,” Nico said earnestly. “Got to know Will pretty well.”

“Will Solace?” Jason asked. “Yeah, he’s a good guy.”

“Pretty much the only human contact I got for like, three days,” Nico mumbled.

Jason shifted nervously. “Sorry I didn’t visit more. I meant to, but with the re-cooperation efforts and all, I’ve been—”

“Don’t worry about it,” Nico said. “That’s not what I meant anyway.” He looked over at Percy. “And, uh, sorry for leaving you kind of high and dry earlier.”

Percy smiled. “You’re fine, dude. I literally thought you hated me. Finding out that you  _ used to…”  _ He faltered. 

Nico followed his line of sight to Jason. “Oh, no, he’s fine. He knows.”

“Oh.” Percy blinked, then continued. “Finding out that you  _ used to  _ have a crush on me was surprising, but not, like, offensive or anything. Still see you the same way, big guy.”

Nico sighed in relief.

“You told him?” Jason asked Nico. Then he turned to Percy. “You didn’t tell me he told you?”

“I didn’t know you knew!” Percy complained. He looked at Nico. “Why didn’t you tell me he knew?”

Nico stifled a laugh. Percy and Jason really were made to be annoying siblings. “You didn’t tell anyone else, did you?”

“No,” Jason and Percy said in unison.

“I was going to, but Annabeth, being smart, told me that probably wasn’t a good idea,” Percy said. “If it wasn’t for her, half the camp would know by now, so you can thank her for being my better half.”

“I will,” Nico affirmed.

Jason prodded at his food with a fork. “Are you planning on coming out any time soon?”

“I haven’t given it much thought,” Nico said. “Maybe. I’m still not really comfortable with any labels, though, so maybe I’ll hold off.”

Jason nodded. Then his face lit up. “Oh, but now that you’re out of the infirmary, and the three of us are together, we’re going to have so much fun! We could ask to get our schedules changed to pair up more often, and we can—”

“Woah, there, tiger,” Percy interrupted. “As much as I appreciate you guys, I’m going to be leaving in, like, a week. I’ll see you guys next summer.”

“Oh.” Jason looked a bit deflated. Then he perked up again. “But Nico—”

“This week, my schedule is paired up with Cabin 7’s,” Nico told him. “Will wanted to ‘show me the ropes’ or whatever.”

“Huh,” Jason said. He didn’t sound disappointed as much as intrigued. “So you and Will are, like, friends now or something?”

“Or something,” Nico confirmed. 

Jason strained over Nico’s shoulder. Nico turned to see what he was looking at. There was Will at table 7, his head in his hands as Kayla teased him about something. When she saw Nico looking at them, she winked. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END. Coolio. So what do I do with my life now? I think I've mentioned this before, but all of this was pre-written, and I intentionally published this seperately so I could have some time to think about what to write next. I'm thinking about doing a "moving-Will's-siblings-out-of-the-cabin-at-the-end-of-summer" type of thing. Like I said in the last chapter, if you have any scenarios, tropes, prompts, etc. you'd like to see in this vien of Solangelo works, drop a comment below! Also comment if you enjoyed the read! Take care, y'all! I love and appreciate you!!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Day 1, done! I know some of these parts seem contrived, but they might come up later (wink, wink). Let me know what y'all think in the comments! If you like this chapter, I'd really appreciate it if you could bookmark and give kudos. Stay safe, guys!


End file.
